What Makes a Hero?
by Throwaway9989
Summary: With a second Omnic Crisis on the horizon, the world needs Overwatch now more than ever. Follow the adventure of an ex-Overwatch soldier who finds himself brought back into the team's reformation, and interacting with the many personalities within it. Sequel is currently under the name 'Chasing Ghosts'. (Story Complete)
1. Night Out

The rain pattered against the window, hardly a sound was present in the world other than that consistent rumble. In a way, it was peaceful, nothing disrupted the harmonic melodies that the rain created. Suddenly a deep groan permeated throughout the silence, and its creator rose from his sleep. A man in his late twenties, brown hair long on the top and short on the sides, with a small amount of stubble around his jaw and cheeks.

"What time is it?" John groggily thought to himself as he pushed out of his bed. He glanced over at the clock he kept on his wall, it read 2:30. "Just when I thought I'd get a full night's rest too".

John fumbled his way through the darkened corridors of his London flat, it wasn't terribly large by any means, but it was his. The years that he'd spent in this flat gave him time to personalize nearly every aspect of the surprisingly well furnished home. As John made his way to the kitchenette he wondered if he'd be able to return to sleep, occasionally he'd be able to gain another hour or so after waking up, but it was hardly common. If John worked a normal job he'd still be fast asleep, but he hadn't done anything normal in quite a long time, ever since he joined _that_ organization.

John made his way to a window with a glass of brandy, not terribly aged since he couldn't afford it, but a serviceable beverage nonetheless. Staring down at the rainy streets of London, John found himself quietly reminiscing over his past actions. He'd been fighting common criminals for the better half of a decade, some would call him a vigilante, but his memories stretched back further than that.

Overwatch is what they called it, an organization dedicated to preserving peace on Earth and showing the world what the best of humanity could do. It was a quaint ideal, if not a little cliché, but John had been lucky enough to be recruited early on as a common grunt. Although you'd expect Overwatch to have a military component, few seemed to know how much of the organization was composed of its militaristic divisions. Although far from a traditional military, Overwatch was separated into two halves; Overwatch was the face of the organization while Blackwatch did the more "specialized" missions. John hadn't been a part of Blackwatch, and he only heard stories of what went on in their missions, but it was enough to realize that they were hidden for a reason. Rumors of civilian casualties and collateral damage were commonplace when discussing Blackwatch among his comrades, and it hardly helped whenever you caught a glimpse of their commander. Gabriel Reyes oversaw Blackwatch, and he was likely the most intimidating man on that base, every word he spoke was slow and calculated, carrying a weight that permeated around him like an aura. John never dared interact with Reyes out of fear of the man, but there was another commander who was easier to approach. Jack Morrison was the poster boy of Overwatch, given the rank of Strike-Commander early on into its conception, he was the brain behind the entire operation. John didn't have much interaction with Morrison during his time with Overwatch, but he wasn't terrified of him like he was of Reyes.

John took a sip of his brandy as he was brought back to reality. Last John had heard of Overwatch their base in Switzerland had exploded killing both commanders, and whoever was left after that just drifted apart. He'd hear the occasional story of agents popping up around the world, Reinhardt had cleaned up some gang in Germany, Dr. Ziegler was back to helping the needy in war-zones around the world, he'd even heard about a team up between Tracer and a gorilla named Winston. John never had much interaction with the heroes of Overwatch, being a grunt and all, but he had learned of most of their existences throughout his deployment. His daydreams were again interrupted, this time by a piercing noise that one could mistake for thunder. John knew better, though it was raining there was no thunder, that was the sound of a gunshot.

 _I guess I'm not getting any extra sleep tonight_ , thought John as he collected his combat gear from his closet. His armor was simple, nothing more than a bulletproof vest underneath an olive-green military jacket, a pair of worn denim jeans, black combat boots, and some brown leather gloves for colder weather. Walking towards the front door John reached into a duffel bag underneath his couch, hoisting out a pulse rifle and several blocks of ammunition. His wasn't as fancy as Morrison's was, no mounted rocket launcher or tactical visor compatibility, but it got the job done. Just before he strode out the door John reached into the bag for one more thing, a first aid kit. He rarely needs one when dealing with common thugs, but tonight felt different. _Better safe than sorry_ , John sighed to himself, taking one last look around his flat before he shut the door behind him.

John jogged through the rainy streets of his neighborhood looking for the source of the gunshot, S _o they decide to be quiet after I've already gotten dressed?_ Rounding the corner of his street he heard the clang of metal hitting metal, not a gunshot but it would do. His pace slowed as the sounds grew louder, stopping at the edge of a divider wall separating a small courtyard from the rest of the street. Peering around the corner he saw four masked assailants beating on a dismembered Omnic while a fifth, presumably the leader, stood further away from the group. John noticed a holster on the fifth's waist, he was likely the one who had fired the shot he heard earlier, his quick survey of the other four confirmed his suspicions. _If I take out the leader first I should have the upper hand, I don't think these kids are suicidal enough to fight a gun with pipes_. Taking a deep breath John turned around the corner and fired two rounds into the leader's chest, his sights then shifted to the four surrounding the Omnic.

"Drop your pipes or you're going to get some rounds in yourself." He though he sounded confident, he'd never gotten the action man persona down. John circled around the group until he was between them and their leader, he had hoped that this would go down without any bloodshed, but he'd rather play it safe.

One of the thugs smirked as he opened his mouth, "Take it easy there 'hero', are you really going to choose this bot over your fellow man?"

"I'm choosing to do the right thing", John shot back. They were not amused by his comment and began to walk towards him. _Are they seriously going to fight a guy with a gun?_ John assumed the fight was over as he held all the cards, but a cold barrel poked the back of his skull.

"They were all a little shocked when I said that we should wear our vests today, but I guess it turned out to be the right choice" the voice behind John bellowed. "Drop your gun or I'll return the favor".

"Ah shit" John grunted to himself, dropping his pulse rifle to the paved ground.

"You're going to let my friends here have a little bit of fun with you, and when we're done maybe you get to walk away from this", as the four walked towards John with pipes in hand he knew he made a risky choice, _At least I have that first aid kit_ , John inwardly chuckled.

As John watched the faces of his would-be attackers he noticed a blue glow briefly shine on their faces, their briefly illuminated visages showed looks of surprise and confusion.

"Oi, luv, I think we can take them" The voice from behind John didn't match that of the leader, it had a thick cockney accent and seemed cheery despite the gravity of the situation.

John looked to his left and saw a British woman, no older than her mid-twenties standing beside him. She looked ready for a fight, with two pistols holstered to her waist, just between her bright orange pants and brown flight jacket. He noticed something white attached to her chest, but quickly moved his focus back to the fight.

"Yeah, I bet we can" John chuckled, pleasantly surprised at how the odds shifted back into his favor. The thugs began to back off before breaking into a full retreat down the road, the Omnic behind them startled at the rapid change in events.

"Aw rubbish, I was lookin' forward to a good rumble!" chimed the voice next to John, her gaze soon turned to the Omnic who had been bisected by the thugs "I gotta get this lad some help, can you stay here and keep an eye on that one for me?" asked the woman.

"Uh, sure, I'll just stay right here and uh, watch him I guess." John tentatively replied.

"Thanks a ton luv, I'll be back in a jiffy!" sang the woman.

John watched as she lifted both halves of the Omnic and suddenly disappeared in a flash of blue light down the street. _Well, that's new_ John thought as he reclaimed his dropped rifle, shifting his focus over to the leader of the gang. The boy was unconscious on the floor, almost certainly knocked out by the woman John just met unless he somehow fell gravely ill. John took a seat on a wet bench in the courtyard, rifle propped next to him as he waited for her to return.


	2. A New Ally

John sighed deeply as he waited in the rain for his newly found ally to return, he hadn't noticed during the fight but his clothing and hair had become completely soaked in the rain, and waiting out here for that woman to return certainly wasn't helping. _I guess it's kind of like a shower, in a weird way,_ John mused. The boy opposite of John occasionally moved an inch or two, but otherwise appeared to be completely out. John ruffled in his pocket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, he wasn't much into smoking but he admitted that the occasional smoke was worth the small pleasure it gave him. The small flame at the end of the cigarette illuminated John's mouth, _Almost like one of those old noire movies_. John chuckled, wondering if his childhood self would see him as cool.

Another few minutes passed as John began wondering if the woman was going to return, his cigarette had grown shorter signifying the passage of time if his bored exterior hadn't shown it well enough. John threw his cigarette to the ground, extinguishing it with a stomp.

"Sorry about that luv, it took a bit longer than I thought to find someone to help!" chimed a familiar voice. John looked over at the entrance to the courtyard to find the woman with her hair matted down much like his, but a cheery smile contrasting against the drab environment.

"Not a problem" spoke John, N _ot that I enjoy sitting in the rain_ , "Our friend over there hasn't moved much since you left."

"Thank you so much for watching him, I'd hate to have run off while I was gone. We never got properly introduced earlier, I'm Tracer although my real name, Lena, isn't quite as neat." Replied the woman.

"I'm John, if I'm not mistaken you were a part of all that Overwatch business a few years back right? A pilot who got the power to manipulate time with the help of that thing on your chest." _I hope it's not a sore spot to talk about that accident._

"That's right! Although I'd like to think that Overwatch is still going, makes the world seem a little brighter"

"Well regardless, thanks for giving me a hand there, I guess the criminals are getting a little more serious lately, wasn't expecting them to be wearing anything bulletproof."

"Of course luv, I didn't know there were any other heroes here in London or else I would've helped you from the start!"

 _A hero?_ "I'm just a guy who tries to do the right thing when it matters, I don't think I'm a hero" John nervously chuckled.

"That makes you a hero in my book!" Tracer's infectious optimism got to John as he began to smile, she began to walk towards the incapacitated leader. "I'll take care of this one, but I'll see you around!"

"Uh yeah, maybe, I'll catch you later." John nervously replied, not expecting the welcoming tone to be how his night finished. He holstered his rifle to his back, attached by magnetic clips woven into his jacket and began his walk home. _She'll see me around?_ John thought, confused by what Tracer meant by this. Shutting the door to his flat as he walked towards the bedroom, dropping his rifle and jacket on his couch as he walked back to his bed. _I guess I'll be doing this again tomorrow then._

John awoke to an uneventful day, particularly boring when compared to the previous night, nothing went out of the usual, he got his morning coffee and proceeded back to his flat. On the way, back he saw a woman who looked almost exactly like Tracer, although it was difficult to get a clear picture on what she looked like in the rain, but something about her seemed familiar. The woman seemed to notice John's interest and gave a two-fingered mock-salute to him before walking off in the opposite direction. _I think I'm just going crazy_ , John rationalized to himself before continuing back home.

Alone again in his loft, John thought over the events of last night. _She did call me a hero, right? I mean_ _I think I'm a far cry from any of the famous names of Overwatch, but I'm not quite the brooding vigilante that someone like Soldier 76 is, even though our sense of style is a little too close for comfort. I'd change weapons to avoid being lumped together with that psychopath, but I've gotten too attached to that old thing._ John glanced over to the pulse rifle that he left on his counter after last night. _I'm just doing the right thing, I don't think that makes me a hero, but I guess she looks at it differently._ John sighed as he took another sip of his coffee. A knock at his door shook John back to his senses, _I wasn't expecting anyone today, who could it be?_ As John neared the door he heard a quiet hum from the other side, whoever it was didn't seem hostile, or they were completely psychotic. John opened the door to find the woman whom he had seen earlier on his walk back home, wearing her same large green jacket and scarf, while also holding a cup of coffee.

"Oh, uh hello ma'am. Can I help you?"

"Yeah I was looking for this gentleman who I bumped into last night, he seemed alright in a fight if lacking a bit of suave confidence."

"Oh sorry, I think you're looking for somebody else, I'm without a doubt the most confident man in this building." _And technically, the only one_. John and the woman both chuckled. "So, Tracer, right? What do you need?"

"I know this is going to sound a bit crazy luv, but I actually need a place to crash for a few nights while the blow-back from my last mission fades off. Coppers can be pretty determined after one of those, but they usually give up within a couple of days. I don't really know anyone in the area, and I may have snuck a look at where you live last night, so I was wondering if- "

 _Oh, god I'm not prepared to have guests at all, I don't think I've lived with anyone else ever since I was stationed with Overwatch, let alone sharing a one bedroom flat with a girl I just met._ "You're right, that does sound a bit crazy, uh, come inside and I'll think about it, wouldn't want to leave you just standing in the hallway."

"Thanks luv, I promise I won't be too much of a bother!" Tracer chimed back.

Tracer entered his modest flat, craning her neck to look at everything kept inside. "Well I'm glad to see your taste in furniture isn't too far out there, modern can look nice I guess, very chic luv."

"Thanks, I've had a bit of time to change out everything I wanted to."

 _Okay so let's think this out, the cops are likely looking for her and not me, so I wouldn't have to stay confined to my flat, not that I leave very often anyway. She might want to help me if I go out again tonight, so having the backup couldn't hurt, but what are our living arrangements going to be? Should I sleep on the couch and let her have the bed, or vice-versa?_ John thought as Tracer freely walked around the flat, examining everything in sight.

"What's the absolute maximum amount of time you would be staying Tracer?" John asked.

"Oh call me Lena luv, we're not on the job after all! I promise it won't be any more than three days, if it goes past that I'll find somewhere else to stay! It'll be like a sleepover!" She replied.

 _Three days? I think I can manage that, nothing big should come up at night, and if it does I'm sure she'd be more than happy to lend a hand._ "Alright Tra-"John caught himself, "Lena, you can stay here for three days."

"Oh thank you so much luv, I promise you won't regret it, we'll have so much fun!" Lena chimed back, giving John a hug as a sign of appreciation. John blushed, not being used to such open affection, but returned the hug as to not be rude. "Just get whatever you need, clothes or toiletries or whatever and bring them back later today, I don't think my clothes would fit you very well."

"Alright, I'll see you later today, thanks again luv!" Lena waved as she walked off down the hallway.

John noticed that Lena had left he coffee cup on his table, picking it up he noticed that the name John was written in pen on the side. _Did she get this for me? Maybe a gift to butter me up?_ John took a swig of the still warm coffee; it was slightly sweet and had a hint of milk in it. _I don't think she knew what I like, but it looks like we have similar tastes in coffee._ John sighed as he put the cup back down, he knew that it was going to be a long three days, even longer if they had three nights like the last.


	3. Criminal Charges

_Shit, I hope everything's alright,_ John nervously thought to himself as he surveyed his flat. He had cleaned up as best he knew how, putting all his clothes away into the closet, hiding any loose cups in the cupboards, he thought it looked nice compared to the relative disarray it was normally in. He glanced at his nightstand, on top was a frame picture of his squad mates and him posing with a few of the heroes from Overwatch, back when there was time to celebrate like that. _Tracer, Reinhardt, Mercy, Morrison,_ he could name a few of the heroes that he saw in the photograph. Although you'd be unable to tell when inside the frame, the back of the photograph had an autograph from Strike-Commander Morrison himself; _Keep fighting the good fight kid._ He wasn't even past twenty when he first joined Overwatch, though you'd hardly be able to tell it from the picture. Having the eyes of the entire world on you and your team puts a lot of pressure on anyone, and John had aged about 5 years during his short time there.

 _Memories from a different time, although maybe it's not all gone yet,_ John smiled as he thought of his arriving guest. _Good to see there's still some people trying to make it better, even if it looks hopeless._ A sudden knock at the door shook John out of his thoughts, and he made his way over to greet Tracer.

As he opened the door he was met with an unfamiliar sight, the woman he was expecting to greet was instead a heavyset police officer in his late forties. "Good evening son, I'm following up on some information I got about vigilante activity in this area, may I come in?" spoke the officer, in a slow and tired voice.

"Uh, sure," John replied as he opened the door wider to allow the officer inside of his flat.

"Nice place you have here kid, very spacious" mused the officer as he slowly examined the room. "You have a nice view of the city, even a courtyard a few blocks away."

"Yeah, I guess it's an alright view." John cautiously spoke.

"Listen, I know that you were a part of that business that happened last night, thankfully nobody got hurt and that Omnic managed to make his way to get repairs somehow, but I think you know that this vigilante work is illegal."

"I-" John was cut off.

"I'm not here to arrest you son, but I am letting you off with a warning, no more of this vigilante shit or we're going to have to take you in. You're lucky that the kids you ran into were into some pretty shady stuff or you might be leaving here in cuffs." The officer resumed his speech as he walked towards the door. "Have a good day kid, and don't forget what I said."

"Yeah…" John grumbled as he shut the door behind the officer. _No more of this vigilante work huh? I guess that means that these three days will be relatively calm if I don't have to worry about getting into trouble with Tracer._ John grabbed a bottle of brandy from the cupboard and poured himself a glass, dropping two ice cubes into the murky liquid. Taking a deep swig, John recoiled as the rough taste went down his throat. He had never much cared for the taste of alcohol, but it helped calm his nerves somewhat. Another knock at the door brought John's attention off the taste of his drink. _Hopefully that's her._

John opened the door, _I need to start looking through the peephole,_ finding the energetic Brit to be standing in his doorway, her eyes filled with concern.

"Hey luv, I just saw a copper leave as I got here, that wasn't about you or me, right?" Tracer spoke, her legitimate concern for him shocked John, not used to people he just met caring so much.

"Don't worry, it was just about me, I don't think they know that you were part of what happened last night, but they did tell me to stop with the vigilante stuff or they'll take me in. I guess that means we're in for some pretty tame three days." John joked, attempting to alleviate the concerns of the woman in front of him.

"Yeah, looks like we'll be getting to know each other pretty well if they already know you were doing some hero work!" Tracer sighed in relief, the concern in her eyes dissipated as she smiled up at John.

"Oh- Come in." John nervously spoke, he had realized that he still blocked the doorway into his flat.

"Thanks luv, looks like somebody did a bit of spring cleaning, eh?" Tracer chuckled as she surveyed the orderly room.

"Uh yeah, figured I might as well clean up if I'm going to have company." John replied, picking up his brandy and swishing the ice cubes around the glass as he spoke. "The bed is over there in the back, I guess you can use it while I sleep on the couch." John's vision moved from his large bed over to the modest sectional he kept in the center of his flat. _Not the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but it's only three days._

"Oh how nice to see that chivalry's alive and well in you!" Tracer laughed as she spoke, throwing her bag onto her newly claimed bed. "I don't know about you, but I am starving!"

John glanced at the clock on his wall, _5:30?! Where did the time go?_ "Sure, I'm not much use in a kitchen but there's some places we can order takeout from." John rummaged around the filing cabinet he kept near his desk, pulling out several takeout menus. "What are you in the mood for?" He looked up to find Tracer examining the photograph on his nightstand. _I knew I should've put that away._ John sighed, noticing her attention still on the photograph, he coughed to snap her back to reality.

"Oh sorry luv, did you say something?" Tracer chimed, seemingly unaware that John had noticed her looking at the photo as her eyes moved to the menus that John held in his hand.

"I was just asking which of these sounded the most appealing to you, most of its Chinese food, but there's some other stuff in here too." John couldn't help but chuckle at her almost childlike innocence.

"Well…" Tracer looked at each menu that John held, her eyes settling on one of the last in the stack. "This sounds pretty good!" She held up the menu to John.

"Superior Wok, I'm good friends with the owner, I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear that I'm ordering for more than one tonight" John laughed, soon joined by Tracer's giggle. "I'll start ordering, feel free to use the shower or change, it can take a bit for the food to get here, unless you want to go and get it?"

"It's a bit chilly out, but give me a bit to change and we can get it, almost like an adventure!" Tracer's energetic voice warmed John's heart, it had been a long time since he heard true enthusiasm like that. She wandered over to the bathroom as John heard the shower begin to run, he rang the restaurant and began to order for him and his new roommate.


	4. Friendly Race

"Yeah very funny Mr. Shen, I'll be over within half an hour to pick it up, make sure to put two sets of utensils in there for me." John chuckled, he'd been friends with Roy Shen for most of his time in London, finding the familiar taste of Chinese food to remind him of his home in America. Hanging up the phone, John walked over to his closet, sliding his arms into his jacket before pulling it tightly on himself. The olive-green shade wasn't too eye-catching, nor were the standard military patches sewn onto the arms of the jacket. The one key feature of this jacket was the logo that took up most of the back, it was a graphic of a flag, although the wear on the jacket had removed most of the detail, a careful eye could still make out the remnants of red, white, and blue. Although he would never tell anyone of this, there was a small Overwatch seal sewn onto the inside of the jacket, located just behind the left breast pocket. _I wonder if she's ready yet_ , John thought as he sat down on the couch. "Lena, are you about ready? We've got 30 minutes to get the food." John shouted into the back of his flat.

"Yeah luv, just putting on my jacket now!" Her voice echoed off the bathroom walls and into the flat. She emerged wearing black jeans with some rips around the knees, a pair of white canvas shoes, and an orange t-shirt with Big Ben placed in the center. On top of her shirt was her familiar brown bomber jacket, with an English flag sewn onto the right shoulder along with a black strap around the collar. She was zipping the jacket up over the device she wore on her chest, and although it made the jacket look bulky and out of place, you wouldn't be able to tell what was underneath unless you were looking for it. Her hair was styled into the familiar spikes that John had seen the night before, it appears subtlety wasn't her greatest strength. John began to chuckle, "Something funny, luv?" Tracer asked.

"Nothing, I just wasn't expecting you to be wearing most of your uniform when we're trying to keep a low profile." Failing to stifle his laughter as her gaze moved to him.

"We're only grabbing dinner and coming back, I don't think that anyone'll recognize me! There's hardly anyone out right now!" Tracer shot back. "Besides, I think I look pretty good!"

 _Hardly anyone out?_ John's eyes shot to the clock on the wall, it was already 6:30, and they only had about 15 minutes to grab their food before it would begin to get cold. Superior Wok was a 10-minute walk from John's flat, but they'd have to hurry to be safe. People in John's neighborhood were off the streets early, though it was due to a mix between an elderly population and the relatively frequent crimes in the surrounding area, though he had tried to do something about the latter. It was fine to be out at night provided you looked intimidating enough, something that John had gotten quite accustomed to living in London. "Shit, we gotta get going if we want to make it to get our food on time!"

"Some takeout place if they don't hold your order after a certain amount of time!" Tracer chimed.

"It's not that they don't hold it, it's just so much better when it's hot, wouldn't want you to have bad takeout on your first night here." John chuckled, as Tracer shot a smile back towards him as they both made their way outside. The streets were still wet from the rain the night before, as several cars hovered past John thought to himself, _I miss the sound of tires on the rain, it was strangely calming._

"Hey luv, I have an idea, why don't we race to the food?" Tracer's idea caught John off guard, unaware that he would be racing someone with the power to blink ahead in space. "That is, unless you're afraid of losin' to a girl?"

"No, no, no, let's just set some ground rules. No cheating, that includes climbing over walls or using your powers for an advantage, this is going to be a fair race" John stammered.

Lena's giggle pushed John's nervousness away, "Alright, it's a deal! We'll go on three!"

"1,"

"2,"

"3!"

Both Lena and John shot off the curb with surprising speed, his service with Overwatch had made sure that he was, at the very least, in good shape. John's confidence in his speed fell apart as Lena began to take the lead from him, her lighter form certainly helping her run by him. As they rounded the corner of the street that the restaurant was on Lena took a turn with startling speed. Her cool demeanor seemed to fade away as her foot stepped into a puddle just before the turn, and she began to fall to the ground. John, not terribly far behind increased his pace and slid towards her, preparing to catch her to prevent her from slamming into the concrete path. _Well, I guess I'll be doing laundry again soon_ , John thought as his jeans and jacket became soaked in water. Lena landed on John's chest with a grunt, surprised that she landed on someone rather than the ground. _She's surprisingly light,_ John mused as Lena sat on his chest, _I expected that thing on her chest to weigh a ton_.

"Thanks, luv!" Tracer chimed as she glanced at the man below her, a slight blush tinging her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it!" John laughed as he felt redness begin to reach his face. The two of them quickly stood up, chuckling about the ordeal, though mostly to distract from their mutual blushing. "Our food is just around the corner; we'll grab it and then _walk_ home." John chuckled as he futilely tried to shake some of the water out of his jacket.

"Aye, aye!" Lena responded, walking next to John as they entered the small Chinese restaurant.

"Hey Mr. Shen, I'm here to pick up my food!" John shouted towards the back of the restaurant. A middle-aged man of Chinese descent with short black hair and a collared shirt appeared from the room, carrying two bags labeled with the Superior Wok logo.

"Glad to see you got it while it's hot!" Replied the man, his face bearing a grin as he made his way to the front. "And is this who you're sharing your meal with?" He nodded his head towards Lena.

"Oh, right, Mr. Shen this is Lena, she's a friend of mine who'll be staying with me for a couple nights. Lena, this is Mr. Shen, the best Chinese cook in all of London." Mr. Shen beamed with pride as John spoke, clearly these accolades were not without merit.

"Pleasure to meet you sir!" Lena replied, meeting Shen's grin with one of her own. "I hope your food is as good as he says it is!"

"Oh, I assure you it is the finest Chinese cuisine you'll find, every dish I make is a labor of love!" Bellowed Mr. Shen, his jowls bouncing as he let out a hearty laugh.

"Well then what do I owe this time, Shen?" John inquired, reaching into his wet pockets for his wallet.

"Consider this on the house my boy, I'm glad to see you're finally spending time with someone!" Shen again laughed, he had a similar ability to that of Lena, bringing down all tension with his energy.

John blushed as he grabbed the bags from Shen. "Thanks again, have a good night Shen!" John shouted as he and Lena exited the restaurant, Shen waved until they were out of sight.

"He seems nice, really jolly guy" Lena spoke, breaking the silence of the streets.

"Yeah, he's the best. I've known him since I moved here, we're basically like family." John replied, his thoughts turning to that of his own family, or lack thereof. "Let's get back home and dig into this!" Lena nodded as the two of them walked towards John's flat.


	5. Reminiscing

John's thoughts turned to his family as he and Lena walked down the narrow streets of London, carrying their newly acquired dinner back to his flat. He hadn't had a bad childhood, not by any means, but he hadn't stayed particularly close to his family after he left for Overwatch. While supportive, his parents weren't fond of Overwatch, seeing their existence as a testament to the increasing sacrifices of freedom in the name of security. _Maybe they were right, in the end it was the militaristic behavior of Overwatch that shattered itself, though their role in stopping the Omnic Crisis is undeniable._ Thinking of the Crisis brought back bitter memories to John, he was no stranger to combat with the towering Bastion units used as common foot soldiers by the Omnics. He thought his parents were safe back in the United States, but they unfortunately lived on the eastern seaboard. When the Omnics came for the eastern states it wasn't by land, but by sea. Titans emerged out of the water and laid waste to everything in their site, entire cities were demolished in a few hours. John received the news via a report on the internet, recognizing the remains of his hometown, he didn't want to believe that his parents were caught in the devastation, but deep in his heart he knew they were.

"You alright luv?" A concerned voice shook John, how long had he been silent?

"Uh, yeah. Just… thinking." John exhaled as he replied.

"Cheer up! You get to have dinner with the one and only Tracer!" She placed her hands on her hips, attempting to look as heroic as she could, attempting to lighten the mood.

John laughed after seeing her display. "Is that your official hero stance? Do you do that in all your photos?"

"Gotta look good for the cameras! People need heroes to look up to, and the best heroes pose!"

John and Lena both laughed as they neared the door to his flat, he handed the bags off to her as he opened the door to the building. John unlocked the door to his room, dropping his keys onto the table as he removed his still damp jacket. Lena placed the bags onto the coffee table in front of the couch.

"I'm going to switch into something a little drier, feel free to help yourself to any drinks I have." John shouted as he walked off towards his closet. Lena giggled as she saw his light denim jeans had taken on a much darker color after his slide earlier, and she made her way to his refrigerator. She perused his selection of beverages, most of it was either soda or liquor, neither seemed to pique her interest. She moved her attention over to the cupboard, finding a small package of teabags hidden within. Placing the package on the counter, she began to heat up a kettle of water on the stove, luckily John owned proper kitchenware, though he never used it himself.

"I see you found the few teabags that I have, lucky for you I picked some up yesterday when I was getting coffee." John mentioned as he made his way to the fridge, taking a glance inside. _Eh it still might be a bit early to start drinking, I guess I'll try the tea she's making, maybe I'll enjoy it._ John inwardly chuckled as he shut the door, making his way to the coffee table. Lena had already taken the food out of the bags and placed it onto the table, each meal carefully arranged with the included utensils. "Look at you, you're a regular Martha Stewart!" John laughed at his joke, though Lena only giggled.

"I dunno who that is, luv!" Her giggle continued as she poured the water from the kettle into a glass, dropping a teabag in with a plop. John's gaze moved over to her.

"Uh, never mind." John's chuckled subsided, "Go ahead and make one for me too," he pointed at the cup of tea Lena had made for herself.

"Sure thing!" Lena replied cheerfully as she grabbed another cup from the cupboard. John sat down on the couch, opening the Styrofoam box to reveal his meal within. He had gotten his favorite, honey chicken with a side of fried rice, along with wonton soup as an appetizer. Steam escaped from the box as he opened it, indicating the freshness of the meal. Lena was pliable in what she wanted from the restaurant so he went with a classic, sesame chicken with a side of white rice, he had also gotten her wonton soup just in case. He could always store what they didn't eat in the fridge. "Here you go, one hot cup of tea!" Lena chimed as she placed the cup in front of John, a beaming smile on her face. John thanked her with a nod, as his mouth was currently full of food, his cheeks inflated like those of a chipmunk. Lena laughed as she sat down next to him, opening her own meal. John had turned the TV to an entertainment channel, the host making a comedic reading of current political events. They each chuckled as they enjoyed their food, with Lena suddenly speaking. "What was that photo on your nightstand, luv? Were you a part of Overwatch back in the day?" John inwardly sighed, knowing that he would eventually have to recollect his time in the organization to her.

"Yeah, I was just a common grunt, my squad and I managed to get a photo with some of the heroes while we were on leave, if I recall you were in that photo, I thought you would remember me?" John chuckled as Lena turned her head away.

"Of course I did luv," Lena nervously began, "How could I forg- "

"Don't worry, I was just teasing you, I'm not a particularly memorable guy." John laughed and Lena soon joined him, the two each thought of their own memories in Overwatch. "I never got to be one of the heroes like you were, but I had my fair share of combat missions. Never was a part of Blackwatch though, thankfully." Lena nodded in assurance, clearly she wasn't fond of the shadier half of Overwatch either. "I did some things I regret during my time there, but one mission ended my time there. We were on a mission to deal with some rogue Omnics hiding out with human hostages in the mountains of Afghanistan." John sighed deeply as he continued the story. "We were told that the Omnics had kidnapped several people from neighboring towns and were using them for ransom, our intel came from Blackwatch and Morrison gave it his stamp of approval. We didn't want to give the Omnics a chance to take any of us out, so we downed the ones standing guard before moving into the one building in sight." John's voice began to get shakier as the story went on, Lena's eyes were full of concern as she looked at him "We breached the door and took out the last couple Omnics inside, believing that we had saved their hostages from this prison. We saw that they were crying, I reached down to one and assured them that it was alright, that they were safe." John's breathing had gotten shallow, his gaze focused on the distance, though not on anything. "The Omnics we killed weren't rogue, they tried to escape from whatever caused their brethren to go haywire and hid with their loved ones in the mountains. Have you ever seen someone look up at you with nothing but contempt? Filled with an indescribable anger after watching you kill their loved ones right in front of them?" John's voice had become emotionless, he tried to hide the sorrow that he felt but it was no use. "I killed innocent Omnics because I was told to, I believed what I was ordered to do was right. I've never forgiven myself for what I did that day, I left my squad and roamed through Afghanistan, trying to find a way to atone for what I did. I swore to myself that I would do what was right, even if the entire world told me it was wrong. I don't know what happened to my squad after that, but I doubt they made it out of the collapse of Overwatch in one piece." John exhaled, thankful that his tale was finally over, when he was suddenly pulled towards Lena.

"I am so sorry, luv. No one should ever have to go through that, it's not your fault." Lena cooed to John, attempting to bring his mood up. John sat in the hug before returning it in kind. "You didn't do anything wrong, it's not your fault." John trembled in Lena's grip, he hadn't been given this kind of acceptance since his time back home, he felt himself on the verge of tears. He sighed deeply, pushing the tears back inside.

"I've accepted what I've done, and I've taken the blame for it, whether right or wrong." John's tone was still shaky. "The only thing that I can do is to improve from this, to make what I've done right." John pulled Lena closer to him, his tremble still apparent. "Thank you Lena…"


	6. Recollections

John awoke to find himself sprawled out on the couch, he hadn't remembered falling asleep, the last thing he remembered was describing what he'd done before leaving Overwatch to Lena. A blanket was placed on top of him, and his hair was slightly ruffled. _Did Lena put me to bed?_ John questioned as his eyes readjusted to the darkened flat. His glanced at the clock, illuminated by its internal LEDs, _5:30, what time did I go to sleep?_ John's soon noticed the sound of someone breathing, his eyes shifted over to his bed, where Lena lay sleeping. The covers had been thrown around her, he wasn't surprised that she was quite active in her sleep, he had seen her awake after all. John yawned as he made his way to the fridge, attempting to be as quiet as possible as to not wake his roommate. He slowly popped the fridge open and withdrew a container of vodka. He silently withdrew a shot glass from the cupboard and filled it with the clear liquid. _Cheers, to everyone that I left behind_. John downed the beverage in an instant, suppressing the urge to expel the air from his mouth as to not wake Lena. He left the vodka and shot glass on the counter and returned to the couch, the alcohol allowing him to return to his slumber. He awoke again to the sound of a kettle steaming, with a shower faintly pattering from the other side of the flat. Groaning as he awoke, he pushed himself from the couch and over to the stovetop. He turned the heat off on the stove, leaving the kettle on top and glanced at the counter. The vodka that he had left out earlier was nowhere to be seen, and his shot glass was placed in the sink where it had been rinsed out. John chuckled as he opened the fridge, finding the vodka placed back inside, he silently thanked Lena before pulling out the leftovers from last night's meal. John sat at the island in his kitchen, beginning to eat the remains of the honey chicken, when he noticed that the sound of the shower had stopped. He looked up to find Lena running, dressed in a tank top and shorts, with her hair still wet from the shower.

"Oh shit I left the kettle on when I got in the show- "Her voice cut off as she noticed a surprised John sitting before her.

"I, uh, got the kettle for you." John stammered as he pointed behind him to the stove.

"Thanks, luv! You're a lifesaver!" Lena cheerfully replied, her smile warming John. He chuckled as he continued to eat the cold chicken before him. She made her way back to the bathroom to finish drying her hair. "About last night…"

John cut her off, "Don't worry about it, and thanks again." John glanced up at her, returning her smile with one of his own. "It's good to open up occasionally." Lena nodded as she left John's sight, his attention returned to the food in front of him. He sighed as he finished his meal and threw it into the waste bin, making himself a cup of tea at the counter. _I never did get to try this._ John thought, as he brought the hot liquid to his mouth. _Not too bad, though it doesn't have the same kick as what I'm more accustomed to drinking_. His eyes moved to the clock on the wall, it read 9:30, he had managed to get some half-decent sleep after awakening earlier.

"Alright luv, now you can have the shower!" Tracer shouted as she rounded the corner of the bathroom, her hair now styled in its usual spikes, flashing her trademark smile towards John.

"Thanks." John groaned as he stretched his arms into the air, making his way towards his closet. He removed a pair of khaki jeans and a black t-shirt before disappearing into the bathroom. Lena had made her own cup of tea, turning on the television as she sipped.

"What a fucking night." John muttered to himself as he stepped into the shower, the door automatically shutting behind him as he entered. The water was still warm when it emerged from the showerhead, likely due to Lena just recently finishing one herself. He glanced out the window of the bathroom as he rinsed his hair, examining the skyline of London, he could've sworn he saw someone on the room of a nearby building, but quickly shook the thought out of his head, attributing it to his groggy state. Turning off the shower opened the door, he dried off and styled his brown hair into its typical fashion, pushing it to the right as he yawned. Slipping into his new clothes he emerged from the bathroom to find Lena still sitting at the island, diligently watching the television. Waving as he made his way to the couch his eyes examined the screen.

"We're advising anyone who lives in the area to stay inside, these are dangerous criminals. We're getting confirmation now that they're affiliated with the mercenary group Talon." John's ears perked up at the mention of Talon, he'd heard that many of the soldiers affiliated with Blackwatch had migrated over after the collapse. He inwardly sighed as he knew what was coming next.

"You hear that, luv? We gotta go stop them!" Lena had already changed into her orange pants and was in the process of putting on her jacket.

"Yeah, we do." John grabbed his pulse rifle and slipped on his combat boots, grabbing his jacket with his free hand. "Ready?" John asked as he slipped the jacket on and cracked his neck.

"Always!" Tracer replied as they made their way into the street below. The building on the news wasn't terribly far away, no more than a few blocks from John's flat. The two broke out into a sprint as they made their way down the streets, the flow of civilians running in the other direction confirmed that they were going the right way. The stopped just before turning the corner to the building, it was a modest tech startup that worked with encrypting data, their clients were mostly private individuals, although they did have some government contracts. John peeked his head around the corner, the glass front of the building making it easy to see what they were dealing with, but providing little in the way of cover. He counted no more than 4 on the main level, with another two on the second, it looked as though the two upstairs were trying to extract something from the servers.

"Okay here's the plan. I count four on the main level and two upstairs." John whispered to Tracer, her face serious. "You're going to find a way to blink up and deal with the two upstairs and I'll distract them out front, when you're done up there you can ambush the ones on the main level from behind. Got it?" Tracer nodded in response, climbing a nearby wall to blink onto the second level, she crouched in wait at the top, eyeing the balcony that sat exposed. John silently cursed as he poked his head out from cover again, they hadn't noticed him yet. _Well, I guess I won't feel bad about killing someone who works with Talon_ , John rationalized as he prepared to fire. Leaning out from the corner John shot several rounds into the closest guard's chest, making sure to penetrate any armor that he'd be wearing. Tracer immediately blinked up to the second floor, quickly incapacitating the first guard and interrogating the second about their purpose. The other three guards down below had taken notice of John, firing at the wall he took cover behind. _Wish I brought grenades with me,_ John sighed as the sound of bullet impacts filled his ears. Tracer had apparently done something very noticeable upstairs since the sound of bullets began to fade away, John peeked his head around the corner to find the guards were moving upstairs. He took the opportunity to take out another, though the other two were out of his sight. Sprinting forward he took cover behind the first desk he could find, cautiously eyeing the stairwell. There wasn't a single noise from upstairs, and John decided to investigate. As he reached the top he found that his concerns were unfounded, Tracer had already taken care of the reinforcements.

"Oi luv, I think we got them all!" Tracer beamed with pride as the guards were strewn on the floor around her. John couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, we got them."

"They were after some sort of encryption software that these folks were developing, anything like that wouldn't be good in Talon's hands."

"Absolutely, we should probably get out of her before the police show up, I don't think they'll take kindly to ex-Overwatch, even if we did save this place." John began to make his way back down the stairwell, with Tracer following suit. Scattered applause came from any onlookers who dared remain in the area as the two made their way back to John's flat, each of them beaming with pride. Opening the door to his flat, John threw his jacket and rifle onto the couch before he felt Tracer grab a hold of him. He suddenly felt ripped through space and was standing back outside with her. Less than a second later an explosion shook the street, John's flat had been engulfed in a raging fireball. John was stunned, Tracer pulled him over to a nearby alley and motioned for him to be silent. John complied as his eyes shifted towards a shadowy figure standing near the source of the explosion, a black mist seemed to surround the man. He was wearing a black hooded overcoat and a mask resembling the skull of some sort of bird. He crouched down in the remains on the flat and picked up John's pulse rifle discarding it to the side, John's tattered jacket could be seen aflame not far from it. The figure carefully panned his gaze around the ruins, suddenly putting his finger to his ear and speaking, though John was unable to make it out, his heart pounding from a mixture of fear and adrenaline. Just as quickly as he had appeared, the figure dissipated into a cloud of smoke. John deeply exhaled as Tracer loosened his grip on him, it looked like they were in the clear. _Well fuck me_.

"Okay luv, I know that was a lot to go through but we need to move now." Tracer's tone was comforting yet stern. She helped him to his feet and put her finger to her ear, speaking to some unknown ally. "Yeah, we just ran into them, I'm coming back to Gibraltar in one piece, and I'm bringing a friend with me. See you soon." Tracer sighed as she finished her sentence, her gaze shifting to John. "Come with me luv, we're going to get on a shuttle that I've stored nearby." John wordlessly nodded, his entire life here had just been destroyed in a matter of minutes, nothing remained of the smoldering flat, the smell of ashes filling his senses. He and Tracer ran through the streets to a seemingly abandoned warehouse, careful to avoid anyone they came across on the way. The doors slid open as they approached, revealing a small shuttle hidden inside, not much larger than a car. John was stunned, was he just going to leave London after all this? Not that he had much to stay for, but he'd lived there for close to a decade. Tracer had already climbed inside the shuttle and strapped in to the pilot's seat. She glanced over at John.

"Trust me luv, it's going to be fine." She smiled at John, tapping the seat next to her as to invite him in. John plunged into the seat, buckling himself in and then putting his head into his hands. The shuttle took off with a rumble, John glanced at the center console and found the destination set for Gibraltar, it was a name John recognized. _What the fuck._


	7. Acceptance

The feeling of the shuttle landing shook John awake, how long had he been out? He glanced outside, the sun was setting, it was early in the morning when he last remembered seeing a clock. He didn't dream, at least if he did, he didn't remember it, the shock of the last day was still raw in his mind. He felt a hand grab his shoulder, comforting him.

"We're here, luv." Spoke Lena, attempting to sooth John, clearly aware of the shock he was in. She unbuckled herself and hopped out of the shuttle, John did the same, dropping from the shuttle to the paved ground below. He glanced around his new surroundings, recognizing the structures as those of an Overwatch base, he had been here before. His gaze turned to the corner of the path, a view of the ocean and a lighthouse with the sun setting in the background. He was back, this was Gibraltar. He heard Lena talking with someone, he turned around to see both her and a large gorilla wearing glasses. Shock momentarily spread across his face, a sight which Lena did not ignore, giggling as she glanced back. John slowly walked over towards the two.

"Ah, you must be John, Tracer has told me about you. I'm Winston, sort of the head of the new Overwatch." The gorilla extended his hand, John frailly shook it, his gaze absentminded. "I'd like to welcome you back to Gibraltar, I heard you used to be part of Overwatch in its heyday." John shook his head, confirming the statement wordlessly. Winston clearly noticed John's dejected attitude, "I'll give you some time to get readjusted." He waved to the man and resumed his conversation with Tracer. John slowly made his way to the corner he spotted early, sitting down at the edge and letting his legs hang off the side, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. In his other pocket sat his lighter, which he used to ignite the cigarette he had placed into his mouth. He gazed out into the sunset, examining every boat that crossed by, every spin the light in the lighthouse made, every wave that crashed into the rocks. He sighed, deeper than he ever had before, he was lost. His home was gone, the few ties he had to London were ripped away, and now he seemed to be a part of this effort to revive Overwatch. John inhaled, holding the smoke within his lungs for several seconds before exhaling. He didn't wonder if his past-self would find him cool now, he didn't wonder about anything, he just sat there, silently watching the scenery. He heard footsteps behind him, before noticing Lena plopping down next to him, her goggles hanging around her next.

"You alright, luv?" Lena asked, her compassionate eyes staring at John. He took another breath of the cigarette before flicking it off the cliff edge.

"No, I don't suppose that I am." John answered, his words hollow. "Have you ever felt like this Lena? Completely empty? I mean I've lost family before, but I always knew that I'd have something to come back to, a life that was waiting for me. But it's all gone now, it's all just some smoldering ashes in a blown-out building. What the fuck do I do now?" John's gaze was focused on the sun as it slowly fell below the horizon, its orange light creating a flow of colors where the two met.

"Yeah, I have." Replied Lena, John looked over, surprised at her response. "When I first appeared after the Slipstream test I was horrified. I had no idea what was happening, I was free-falling through time with no way to stop. Everything that ever happened and ever will appeared before me, I was lost. I thought that this was it, that there wasn't a death awaiting me, that I would be doomed to flow endlessly through time forever. But Winston saved me, he gave me my life back." Lena turned to John and flashed a smile. "Your friends will always be there for you John; we're always going to be there for you!" John sat, stunned at what he just heard, he'd never been too attached to his squad mates, thinking of himself as a loner. Lena pulled him in for a quick hug before jumping up. "I'm gonna go chat with Winston about how we're going to get the rest of the gang together, I'll come back for you when I'm done!" Lena waved as she left, leaving John alone with his thoughts.

 _Friends, huh?_ John wondered as he pulled another cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it before placing it in his mouth. He stared at the sun as it crested just below the horizon, the dark colors of night beginning to take the place of the bright day. His thoughts moved to what Lena had mentioned, getting Overwatch back together. _Would they all be so willing to rejoin as she was? I don't have many doubts about someone like Reinhardt, but what about those who left on their own terms?_ His mind raced through the list of heroes who had left of their own accord; Genji, McCree, Mercy had left just after the collapse, and Amari, Reyes, and Morrison were all killed. _We're going to have to do a lot of recruiting if we want this to work._ The sun had completely set, the only light was the cigarette illuminating John's face, he hadn't remembered Gibraltar being this dark. With a deep inhale, he sucked the last of the smoke out of the cigarette, flicking this one off the cliff too. Standing up, he exhaled while facing off the cliff before turning around. Looking at the dim entrance to Winston's lab he noticed a figure emerging, immediately identifying it as Lena due to her orange pants brightly glowing as she left. She waved at John, although he merely nodded in return.

"Alright, luv." Tracer began, "Let's go ahead and turn in for the night."

"I'll catch up with you." She shot a worrying glance towards John.

"Okay, but get some rest. Good night." Waving as she disappeared into the base.

"Yeah." John muttered, knowing that she wouldn't hear his reply. He walked into the dark hallways of the base, only a few lights flickered amongst the entire facility, it had been in a state of disrepair for some time. Wandering through the empty corridors, John found himself in the mess hall, he couldn't help but remember the time he had spent in there with his old squad, eating food that tasted like garbage but at least filled them up. With a sigh, he walked towards the back of the hall, a doorway leading to the shuttle bay was housed at the end. He'd departed out of this room many times, each time he was thrown into a separate mission, until the one in Afghanistan. His final stop on the tour was the barracks, it was housing for the foot soldiers of Overwatch, whatever bunk was free was the one you slept in. John considered sleeping in one of the bunks, for all the time he'd spent in them before, but decided to head towards the wing that the heroes stayed in. Every hero got their own room, although there were always more rooms than heroes since Overwatch planned to be around much longer than it was. John noticed a light coming from underneath a door down the hall, he assumed that it was Lena's room. As he walked past he noticed a dimly illuminated plaque that said _Tracer_ on it. He walked several door downs, passing rooms with names like _Genji, Reinhardt, Reyes, Amari_ , he was surprised with how many higherups stayed in this wing. He stopped at a door that had no name on the plaque, he pressed the button to enter and found the room to be lit by preinstalled LED lights. The furniture was all very much standard Overwatch material, blue with hints of white accents. It appeared that this room was never used by a new hero. John walked over to the bed and flopped down onto it, staring at the ceiling after he landed. Lena's voice rang in his head, _Get some sleep!_ John shut his eyes and settled in.


	8. Warm Welcome

Sunlight streamed into the room through the large windows overlooking the rest of Watchpoint Gibraltar, the waves of the bay glistened in the morning sun, the calming sounds of the waves rolling into the shore filled the air. John stirred as the sunlight landed on his face, squinting one eye open as he slowly awakened. _I should buy some curtains for this place,_ he thought, clearly irritated by the light. As if on command the tint of the windows' glass darkened, blocking out most of the sunlight. John groggily sat up in surprise, _Or maybe not._ A giggle from the doorway brought his focus away from the windows.

"Good morning sunshine!" Lena stood there holding a remote control, "Winston programmed this for your room after we found which one you were holed up in." She grinned as she tossed the remote onto the food of the bed. "Ready for your first day as a member of the new Overwatch?" Her enthusiasm was palpable, and John debated the merits of just staying in bed.

"I guess…" John groaned, stretching his arms towards the sky. "Give me a bit to get ready, I'll meet you in the mess hall?" Lena nodded in return, the door shutting behind her. John's focus moved to the coffee table in the center of the room, a gift basket of sorts had been left for him. _Lena must've brought this in too._ John moved to examine the gift, it had all the essentials that he would need; deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, all the toiletries he could ask for. There was even a small pile of clothing provided for him by his hosts. Although it was far from the highest quality stuff, John wasn't picky, smiling as he turned the shower on. The space was smaller than that of his London flat, although it seemed to have much more recent appliances installed than his old residence. John sighed with relief as he stepped into the shower, feeling clean for the first time since his flat went up in smoke. After freshening up, John examined the clothes he had been given. In his possession, he had a plain white t-shirt with the Overwatch logo on the left breast, a pair of olive cargo pants, and a grey zip-up hoody with the word Overwatch inscribed along the left arm, with another logo on the back. John put on the clothes and wore the hoody unzipped as he made his way out of his room. The halls of Gibraltar were much more well-lit during the day, sunlight filled almost every corner of the facility with its numerous windows looking out over the bay. John picked up the scent of bacon from the mess hall, as he entered he was met with Lena cooking breakfast with Winston sitting near a table that was comically small for him. Lena's head turned as John entered the room.

"Oi there you are luv! We were wondering if you were ever going to make it!" Laughing as she continued to cook the food. John heard a chuckle from Winston as he made his way over to the table, nodding as he sat down across from the scientist.

"Yes, I trust you've gotten more acclimated since last night?" Winston inquired, his voice respectful yet stern. John nodded in reply.

"Yeah, getting some rest helped a ton, glad to see the food's improved since I was last here." Winston and Lena both chuckled, John smiled as he felt something he hadn't felt in quite a long time, content. Lena had finished cooking the food and had brought it over to the table, leaving again to grab additional plates and silverware, even early in the morning she was full of energy. Winston cleared his throat to grab John's attention.

"Well, we have a lot of work ahead of us, only a few agents responded to the recall signal. We'll have to go and pick up most of them, although a few can make their way here alone. There are a couple of individuals that I want you and Lena to look into- "He was cut off by Lena's return to the table.

"We can talk about all that later luv, let's eat first!" John chuckled as Lena sat down next to him, eyeing the food she had prepared. "Dig in!" John took a healthy portion of scrambled eggs, several slices of bacon, and a piece of toast from the pile. Taking his first bite into the toast he found it to be rather undercooked. Winston noticed the disappointment in John's face as he bit into the toast, shaking the table with a deep laugh.

"Sorry about that John, I suppose I should've warned you that Lena isn't the best cook!" Lena glared at the gorilla, causing his laughter increase.

"No, it's uh… Really good?" John looked at Lena, his eyes a mixture of confusion and fear. She returned his glance with a welcoming smile.

"Don't worry luv, it's fine!" Lena laughed, clearly aware that her cooking was far from perfect. John poured a healthy amount of salt and pepper onto his eggs so that they'd have some flavor, letting go a sigh of relief due to Lena's sportsmanship. After they all had finished eating the dishes were placed into the sink after being rinsed clean, whatever was leftover was thrown away into the incinerator. John had known that Gibraltar held and incinerator within it, his shock was noticed by Lena who chuckled.

"What, did you think the garbage men would come out here for us?" John laughed as they made their way towards Winston's lab. As they entered, John noticed a rifle placed upon a table on the side of the room, with a few modifications made to it.

"Ah," Winston spoke, "I see you've noticed your new weapon. Normally we'd go through some combat training for a recruit, but Lena here vouches quite heavily for your skills." John glanced over to find Lena winking at him with her fingers arranged like guns, he silently chuckled. "This is a mostly standard DMR, it's not quite the same as your old pulse rifle," Winston continued. "Some modifications have been made to the scope to allow for variable aiming, a silencer has been built into the barrel although that does come at the cost of stopping power, and the magazine can hold 12 rounds, which should be more than enough if you're at the ideal range. A magnetic grip system was put onto the side of the weapon to allow it to be holstered on the back of any Overwatch gear, we put small traces of mag- "

"Yeah Winston, I'm sure he'd love to hear about all the science mumbo-jumbo later." Lena interrupted, John wordlessly thanked her. "I'm pretty sure he knows how to use a gun."

"Of course," Winston stammered, "Let's talk about the first agent you're going to go and recall. Athena bring up the information on Genji Shimada." The screen on the far wall of the laboratory lit up with information, including a profile shot of the agent. "Genji answered the recall signal near his hometown in Japan, he mentioned that he was with an Omnic monk named Zenyatta, who also expressed interest in joining us." Lena seemed to shift uncomfortably at the mention of Zenyatta, John had heard things about the assassination of Mondatta in London, but was unaware that he had a brother. "Genji mentioned that he had some family business to deal with before he rejoined us here at Gibraltar, but hopefully that should be finished by the time you two land in Japan. If you head to the shuttle bay you'll find a ship prepped for the trip, I had Athena fully stock it with whatever you should need, best of luck!" Winston shouted as Lena and John left the laboratory, John's new rifle slung across his back.

"Isn't this exciting luv? Your first mission as a real Overwatch agent!" Lena excitedly cheered as the made their way back through the mess hall.

"Well I did do some work as a grunt if you remember, but I never was one of the hotshot heroes like you." John chuckled, Lena's enthusiasm had rubbed off on him more than he'd care to admit. The shuttle that awaited them was much larger than the one they had taken out of London, with two pilots seats and enough space in the back for several passengers. John examined the hold as he ascended the ramp, _Is that a couch? Is that a minibar? Fuck me, the best we got as grunts were cramped seats and a water bottle._ John's bewildered expression earned a giggle from Lena as she hopped into the cockpit. John sat down on the couch as he heard Lena's voice from the speakers.

"This is your pilot Lena Oxton, thank you for choosing Tracer Airlines! We'll arrive in Japan with 10 hours, maybe faster if I don't use autopilot!" John heard a giggle from the speakers before they shut off, they loading ramp had closed and the shuttle began to lift off the ground. John gazed out the window at the Bay of Gibraltar as the soared towards Japan and their first recalled agent.


	9. Cherry Blossoms

John lay on the couch in the back of the shuttle, his hood pulled over his eyes in a vain attempt to steal some additional sleep out of the day. The rhythmic shakes of the cabin as they soared over Europe was relaxing, serving to subtly cradle him to sleep. He opened one eye as he heard the door to the pilot's cabin open, Tracer was walking down the stairs towards him. John sighed as he pushed himself up into a sitting position on the couch, making room for her to sit, _I guess I won't be getting any extra sleep_. She sat down next to him with a laugh, and spoke the first words of their conversation.

"Hey sleepyhead, we're about two hours out of Japan. I switch on the autopilot for the rest of the trip, should be clear sailing from here on in." Tracer sunk into the couch as she spoke, extending her arms and legs to their fullest length before returning them to their resting position. "It'll be good to see Genji again, he always was fun to race around the base, one of the few people that can keep up with me!" Her gaze was focused out the windows, reminiscing over the memories of the original Overwatch. John chuckled as he glanced over to her.

"Was there anyone you weren't friends with in the original squad?" John playfully questioned.

"Nope, I think I got along fine with everyone!" Her smile shone back to John before they both broke into laughter, John had become much more positive during his time with the woman, her aura of positivity was easy to find yourself drawn into. John shifted the conversation in a more serious direction.

"So you're alright with this? Meeting a member of the Shambali after what happened in King's Row?" John's voice was stern; he didn't want to put Tracer into a situation she'd be uncomfortable in.

She nodded in return, "You can't expect to keep going forward if you're always focused on the past! Besides, I've always wanted to meet one of the Shambali, I only ever saw Mondatta speak." Even when faced with a serious discussion she always found a way to spin it into positivity. The two discussed the happier memories of their time in Overwatch, the conversations would periodically stop for the two to laugh, mostly at Tracer's recollection of her time there. They both halted the conversation as the shuttle slowed to hover above a small town in Japan, "I guess we're here then!" Tracer leapt up from the couch and moved back into the pilot's cabin, John followed and sat down beside her. The center console read Hanamura as their destination, out of the front of the shuttle they could make out a small town with alleyways mazing around the main streets. A large building with a model of some sort of fish creature in a UFO eating ramen was clearing the most popular spot in town, with hundreds of people filing in and out of it. Though John couldn't read Japanese he had spent much of his youth in the arcades of the United States, the sight was a familiar one as he saw patrons exiting with prizes as big as they were. "I always wanted to see where Genji was from, it looks very peaceful." Tracer gazed with wonder at the sights below, focusing keenly on the large number of cherry trees that dotted the town, their blossoms in full bloom. A voice rang from the communicator stored in the center console.

"Lena is that you?" A man spoke, his voice sounded metallic, "I didn't think they'd send you to pick us up."

"Genji! It's been too long, luv!" Tracer excitedly responded into the communicator. "Where are you?"

"We are in the opening to your east; you can see the remains of a large Omnic in it." Genji replied.

"Ah, I see you now, stand back for us to land!" Tracer chimed, clearly happy at reuniting with her friend. The shuttle slowly descended to the ground, gently landing on the grassy opening with despite its size. John and Tracer both moved to the back of the shuttle as the door opened, they were met with the sight of an Omnic monk and a katana-wielding cyborg before them. Tracer sprinted out to meet them, hugging the cyborg deeply. Genji returned the gesture, chuckling as he did so.

"It is good to see that our time apart has not reduced your energy, Miss Oxton." Genji spoke, his words methodical and calculated.

"You haven't changed a bit, you old bucket of bolts!" Tracer laughed as they released their embrace. John walked up to the trio, extending his hand to Genji.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Shimada, I've heard quite the tales of your accomplishments from Lena here." Genji's mechanical hand firmly grasped John's as he shook it, nodding as he did so.

"This is my master, Zenyatta, a monk from the Shambali Monastery in Nepal." Genji motioned to the Omnic floating by his side.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, I am pleased to meet any friends of Genji's." Zenyatta's words were slow and melodic, his speech calming even the most nervous man. The Omnic bowed to Tracer and John, and they returned the gesture. Tracer looked like she had met a Rockstar, her eyes filled with wonder.

"It's an honor to meet a member of the Shambali, Mondatta was an inspiration to me!" Her giddy voice barely contained by her shaking frame, her excitement was acknowledged by a chuckle from both John and Genji.

"To us all, I miss him dearly." Zenyatta replied, his tone held no sadness or anger, the perfect image of harmony. "Shall we board the shuttle? I believe we can wait there for Genji as he finishes up some personal business inside the town." Zenyatta slowly floated his way up the ramp and into the cabin.

"Give us a shout when you're ready, luv!" Tracer waved as Genji nodded in return, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. _Well, shit, I can't do that_. John chuckled as he made his way onto the shuttle with Tracer, the ramp closing behind them. Tracer seemed as though she wanted to speak to the Omnic about something important, which Zenyatta took note of.

"Is there something you wish to speak with me about, Miss Oxton?" Zenyatta calmly asked, Tracer seemed to calm down at the sound of his voice.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened to Mondatta. I was there and I tried to stop it, but I couldn't, I feel like it's my fault that the died, that there was something more I could've done to save him. I won't blame you if you don't forgive me." Tracer's face had become serious; the confession was one that she had wanted to make since she heard they were meeting the late Mondatta's brother. Zenyatta nodded along as she spoke, carefully considering her words.

"Do not worry, my child, the fault does not lie with you. Mondatta knew the risks of his task, he gladly gave his life to help improve the relations between Human and Omnic. The Iris embraces all of us, and Mondatta now resides within it. The true fault should lie with the one who pulled the trigger. To kill someone so peaceful and noble truly requires a heart filled with discord. There is nothing to forgive, my child." Zenyatta's harmonious words filled Tracer with joy as she broke out into her trademark smile. Zenyatta would do the same, but as an Omnic he lacked the capability to do so. John sat wordlessly on the couch, this discussion was something that he had no part in, it was very personal to Tracer. The three sat together on the cabin, Zenyatta told them tales of his time in the monastery, and the process of healing the deep-seated doubts that plagued Genji. By the time John had next looked out the window the sky was already dark, with the moon high in the sky. A cloud of smoke swirled outside the shuttle door, and Genji emerged from within, Tracer opened the door to let him inside.

"Welcome back, luv. Did you finish up everything?" Genji nodded in return, glancing over at Zenyatta, the Omnic would flash a knowing look, but his metallic face sat emotionless.

"Indeed I have, I believe that my brother Hanzo will be making his way to Overwatch soon, if only to keep a close eye on me." Genji chuckled as he finished his sentence, he had forgiven Hanzo for almost killing him in his youth, the aid of Zenyatta was instrumental in Genji accepting what he had become. "My brother walks a similar path to mine; he has been consumed by the wounds he feels for his actions. I believe that they will heal in time, and that there is hope for him yet." Genji sat down on the floor of the shuttle, Zenyatta floating over to his side before lowering himself to the ground. "We are going to begin our meditation for the trip back, you are welcome to join us." His welcoming gaze turned to Tracer and John.

"We'd love to, just let me go set the autopilot for Gibraltar!" Tracer eagerly replied, blinking into the cockpit. John laughed as he sat down across from Zenyatta, mimicking his stance. The three laughed as Tracer blinked back and hastily mimicked Genji's position, her giggle soon joining theirs. The shuttle soared off into the sky, it's propulsion shaking blossoms from the trees around the opening.


	10. Old Soldiers

John was shaken from his trance by the ring of the communicator, he and Tracer both moved into the cockpit to investigate. The call was sourced as coming from Gibraltar, _Winston,_ John thought as he tapped to console to accept his transmission. "Winston, what's up?"

"Just wanted to check in to make sure that you got Genji and Zenyatta from Japan. I also wanted to let you know that Reinhardt and Torbjörn contacted me, they're on their way here now." Winston's voice sounded much quieter coming from a speaker than it was in person.

"Yeah we've got them, we just passed over India if the map is correct." John responded.

"It should be, but this isn't all I called you about. I've gotten some intel on Soldier 76, apparently, he's left Mexico and gone to Egypt, I think we could use him in Overwatch." Winston mentally prepared himself for Tracer's opposition.

"But luv, his methods are brutal! Do we really want someone who beats criminals to death as a part of the new Overwatch?" Tracer's concerns were not unfounded, 76 had a storied past of brutally dealing with any criminals he found in between scavenging abandoned Overwatch sites. "He seems too much like what caused it all to fall apart in the first place!"

"I know, he's far from a saint, but I think we're going to need someone willing to do whatever it takes when we eventually take on Talon. Regardless of his methods, he has some sort of past with Overwatch or else he wouldn't be so interested in our old facilities. It couldn't hurt to bring him in."

"So you want us to go and talk with this psychopath and hope that he'll just tag along peacefully to Gibraltar?" John questioned, unsure of Winston's proposal.

"Not quite, I want _you_ to go and get him." John was stunned by this revelation, "He's a soldier just like you are, and if he really was part of Overwatch in the past it's likely that you can relate to him the best." John sighed as he shot a concerned look towards Tracer, she nodded in response.

"Alright, it's not like I have much of a choice anyway." John dryly chuckled as he made his way to the back of the cabin. Genji and Zenyatta were still deep in their meditation, undisturbed by the conversation up front. The communication device in his ear rang, John pressed his finger into it to listen.

"We're going to drop you off in Giza, apparently, that's where 76 was last seen." Tracer's voice chimed through the earpiece. "Get ready, this is your stop!" The shuttle slowed as the bay door opened, John walked down the ramp before looking back. "Good luck out there luv! You'll do great! We'll see you back at Gibraltar!" Tracer gave him a thumbs-up from the cockpit as he leapt down to the rooftop they'd stopped by, mimicking Tracer's two-fingered salute as the shuttle flew away. John panned the horizon from his viewpoint, Giza certainly was a mess of a city, no rhyme or reason to the convoluted river of streets that laid before him.

"Well, I guess I better find a bounty board, I'm sure someone wants him dead here." John muttered as he dropped from roof to roof until he landed on solid ground. Glancing to his right he found a glowing bounty board, surrounded by several men, one of them had a face that was covered in blood. John walked over to the bounty board and examined it, nothing about 76 but a lot about a man named Hakim. The bloodied man spoke to John.

"Are you looking for a bounty? I've got a fresh one for you. Find the bastard that did this to me, a white-haired man wearing a jacket with 76 written on the back. Last I heard he was heading to get Hakim, I'm sure he'll reward you handsomely if you help him out. His compound is just to the east of here." The man pointed, signaling the direction John should go.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will, thanks for the tip." John waved as he departed. _Well then, I guess I'll find him there._ He broke into a jog, not wanting to waste any time, 76 was known to work fast. As John neared the edge of the city he found a home with a large wall around it, the sounds of gunshots rang inside, _this is probably the place_. John grunted as he hoisted himself over the wall, stopping at the top to survey the courtyard inside. The gunshots had stopped, at the center of the courtyard the figure from London dissipated into a cloud of smoke before appearing in a window nearby, struggling with an unknown assailant. 76 laid where the figure once stood, slowly pushing himself off the ground. A few quieter shots rang out before smoke flowed from the window, the masked figure had apparently retreated. An older woman wearing a hood dropped down from the window, making her way towards 76. The spoke for a few seconds while he removed his mask, _he looks familiar._ John strained his ears to hear what they were saying, only able to make out a few words. _Jack? There's no way he's that Jack, is there?_ John dropped down from the wall and made his way towards the pair.

"Behind you!" shouted 76 as John neared, the older woman turned around and pointed a rifle at him. John froze, quickly raised his hands into the air.

"Don't shoot, I'm not with whoever that was!" 76's face was full of skepticism, and the woman's face was obscured by her rifle. John heard a guttural growl from 76 as he scanned over him, his eyes stopping at the writing on his left sleeve.

"Are you kidding me?" 76's rough voice broke the silence, "Are you a fan of Overwatch or some crap?"

"Uh, not exactly, I'm sort of reforming Overwatch with the help of a few old members, it's a long story." John stammered, 76's steel blue eyes staring deep into his soul. The woman lowered her rifle, turning her head towards 76.

"Jack, let's hear him out." He responded with another guttural growl as he lifted himself into a standing position. John sighed with relief as she lowered her rifle, still holding it in case he was a threat, lowering his arms as she did so.

"Fine." 76 muttered as he slung his pulse rifle across his back.

"I'll cut straight to business, we're reforming Overwatch, the world needs heroes to help protect it. We're on the cusp of a second Omnic Crisis, to put it bluntly, the world's pretty fucked." John heard a rough chuckle from 76, apparently, he appreciated the concise explanation. "We'd like you, both of you, to join up with us at our headquarters, as members of Overwatch." John examined the pair before him to gauge their reaction, a small smile crept across the woman's lips, though 76 had slipped his mask back on.

"What's the point in bringing back Overwatch? The world was very clear in how little we meant to them, nothing like some UN sanctions to show their appreciation. This shit won't work a second time, the world doesn't need heroes, it needs people doing whatever it takes to clean up the garbage." 76's cold response shook John, not expecting the soldier to be so adamantly against joining.

"You're going to look at the world and all its problems and think that you can solve them alone? If there's a second Crisis do you truly believe you could stop it alone? The world needs us, they need people to look up to, they need our protection before they tear each other apart! I heard her call you Jack, but the Jack that I knew would never have abandoned the world because they didn't accept what he was doing. The Jack I knew would do whatever he could because it was the right thing to do, it didn't matter if the world told him it wasn't."

76 shifted upon the mention of his name by a stranger, "Jack Morrison and his ideals died with Overwatch in Switzerland, go mourn to his tombstone if you want him back."

"I don't believe that, I don't believe the Strike-Commander that I knew is completely gone. You know there's still good in this world, and you of all people should know that you have to be willing to fight for it." John spat back, his frustrations lacing every word he spoke. The two stared at one another, 76's unblinking visor a cold contrast to the stern face of John. The woman he was with stepped between the two, whispering to 76. After a few moments, 76 let out a deep sigh, and the woman turned around.

"He can be a little hotheaded, but we'll join you, at least temporally." Her calm voice was the opposite of 76's guttural speech.

"Thank you, Miss?" John questioned as he extended his hand for her to shake.

"Amari," she responded, "Ana Amari." She grasped John's hand and shook it firmly. _Captain Amari? So, both her and Commander Morrison are alive… Does that mean that Reyes could be too?_ 76 walked by, ignoring John's extended hand, he glanced back at him as he passed.

"Keep this little revelation a secret kid, no one else needs to know that Morrison isn't as dead as they though." John retracted his hand, nodding his confirmation to the man before him. 76 grunted in approval, "Come on, I've got a shuttle we can take back to your little base." The three made their way outside the limits of Giza, a small personal shuttle sat hidden by nearby shrubbery. They stepped inside as 76 made his way to the cockpit, typing in the coordinates for Gibraltar. _I guess he still remembers where it is_. John glanced around the cabin, it was a much more militaristic vessel than the one he rode in on, with seats lining the walls, much like the shuttles he used when he was a grunt. John sighed as he sat down across from Ana, she chuckled as he glanced at her.

"Not just anyone can get Jack all riled up like that, well done!" Her chuckle was interrupted by a shout from the cockpit. "Sorry, 76." Her laughter grew as John cracked a small smile. The shuttle pushed off from the sandy dunes of Egypt, heading west to Gibraltar.


	11. Reunited at Last

It was deep into the hours of the night when the shuttle landed in Gibraltar, John had shot a message to Winston letting him know he was coming back with two others. He glanced down at his personal communicator, the screen shone to alert the user of a new message. _That's great news! Getting a veteran like Captain Amari back will be invaluable to us. I'll send Lena to meet you guys at the landing pad. – Winston_. John chuckled to himself, excited to see the interaction between the bitter 76 and the friendly Brit. He glanced up as he heard footsteps in the cabin.

"Let's see how this little revival of yours is doing, kid." 76's rough voice broke the silence as he slammed his fist into a button at the rear of the cabin, the door lowering in response. The warm air from Gibraltar flowed into the cabin, Ana seemed to sigh at she adjusted to the heat.

"Never thought I'd see this place again." She spoke, 76 merely grunted in agreement. The three stepped down the ramp to the landing pad, a blue light quickly jumped towards them from down the patch, stopping when it reached them. Lena stood there, wearing her usual gear with her goggles hanging around her neck.

"Welcome back John- "She began as she looked over the group, her voice stopping as she examined the woman with them. "Cap, is that you?" Ana nodded in response, pulling Lena into a hug. "We all thought you were dead, what happened? Why didn't you come back to us sooner?" Lena questioned, still embraced by the older woman.

"I needed some time to think things over, judging by what I've heard, it seemed as though Overwatch didn't last much longer after I was declared KIA. It's good to see you, Lena." John noticed a slight glint rolling down Lena's cheek as the two women separated, Ana clearly meant a lot to her. "I'm sure you know who this is." Ana motioned towards 76, his cold visor scanning the base.

"Tracer at your service!" Lena chimed as she extended her hand to the soldier. 76 glanced down at the young woman, he clearly remembered her from when he was Morrison, though he would never tell her.

"Yeah," his guttural voice spoke, "Where can I find the bunks?" Lena retracted her hand, unfazed at 76's lack of courtesy.

"I'm sure Cap would love to show you where they are!" Her positivity was a welcome change from the bitterness of 76. Ana chuckled as she walked past the group.

"Of course I would, come along, soldier." Ana chuckled as she walked off down the path, taking great pleasure in mocking 76's new position in Overwatch. "That's an order." 76 grunted as he followed her, unamused by her joke. John and Lena stood together on the landing pad, the older pair had already faded away into corridors of the base.

"You managed to get 76 _and_ Cap?" Lena's cheerful voice spoke, "You might be the best recruiter we've ever had!" John laughed at the praise.

"I think I'm the only one you've had." John joked as they walked towards the base. The pair yawned simultaneously as they neared the door, both exhausted after a long day of flying around the world. "So you do get tired, I thought all that energy you had would never run out." Lena laughed as they neared the hallway of their residences, only a few doors separated their rooms from one another. "Goodnight, Lena." John waved as he continued down the hall, opening the door to his room.

"Goodnight!" Lena quietly shouted back, no wanting to wake anyone sleeping nearby. John flopped down on his bed, so tired that he didn't bother removing his clothes. He shut his eyes and within moments began to dream.

John groggily awoke, the tinted glass preventing the sunlight from disrupting his sleep like last time. He pulled himself into the bathroom where he splashed water on his face. His hair had become much more unkempt after his sleep, almost mimicking Lena's spiky hair. He chuckled as he made his way towards the mess hall, expecting Lena's serviceable cooking to be awaiting him. As he glanced around the mess hall he noticed that Lena was sitting at a table next to Winston, food already prepared. 76 was nowhere to be seen, likely to avoid having to eat with his mask removed. Genji and Zenyatta were absent as well, their mechanical bodies not requiring food to be fueled.

"Hey, luv!" Lena's voice called out to John, her arms waving to catch his attention. John made his way over and sat down across from her, his grogginess still apparent. "You're not going to believe this, but Cap actually made us food!" Lena laughed, happy that she no longer had to attempt to feed the group. John noticed Ana making her way back to the table with a plate and utensils, placing them before him.

"It helps if you eat with these." Ana laughed as she examined John, his tired face looking up at her. "You need to fill up, I hear you have another mission today." She began to leave the mess hall, likely going to meet with her bitter comrade.

"Thanks." John muttered as he began to fill his plate. "What are we doing today, Winston." John asked as he began to eat the food in front of him. Winston inhaled, about to begin his briefing before Lena interrupted.

"We get to go wrangle ourselves a cowboy!" Her voice had changed into a poorly imitated western accent. "None other than that dastardly outlaw, Jesse McCree!" The trio laughed at her display, John glanced over to Winston for confirmation.

"Yes, that's correct." Winston spoke, still chuckling. "McCree has responded to the recall request, he says he's in Texas, just off Route 66. He said that there's some Talon forces in the area, so he'd appreciate our help in clearing them out before he came back to Gibraltar. You're to depart immediately." John nodded as he stood up, leaving his mess on the table.

"You've got the dishes, right Winston?" John laughed as he made his way to the shuttle bay, Lena close behind. He heard a deep sigh from Winston as they passed into through the doorway.

"You're not gonna freshen up before we head out, luv?" Lena questioned as they made their way onto the shuttle.

"I don't want to make McCree jealous of my good looks." John shrugged as he sat down on the couch. Lena made her way into the cockpit, fiddling with the console before lifting the shuttle into the sky. John's gaze moved to the window, the soft colors of the rising sun lay before him, _we should be able to make it to McCree before nightfall, although I'm not holding my breath._ The shuttle propelled itself over the ocean as they made their way to the United States.


	12. Dusty Trails

The shuttle landed on the ground, dislocating all the dirt in the area with its propulsion. Tracer and John emerged from the bay door, surveying the bleak landscape they found themselves in. If red was one of your favorite colors, then you might enjoy the view of Deadlock Gorge. Rock spires stuck out of the ground, their unwelcoming appearance a reflection of the Gorge's primary inhabitants, the Deadlock Gang. McCree used to be part of the gang before he was recruited to Blackwatch, his talent in combat was not unnoticed by Reyes during their sting operation to take out the gang. John glanced around at the various animal skeletons jutting out of the dirt, their bones bleached in the light of the burning sun. Even the vegetation was unwelcoming, a mixture of sharp cacti and frail weeds, barely clinging onto life in the unforgiving heat. "The sooner we get out of this hellhole, the better." John spoke to Tracer as they made their way into town. Town may have been a generous term, as the entire area was composed of a handful of buildings. On one side stood a diner, sitting next to the tunnel that cut through the gorge, along the road sat several other miserable sights including a gas station, saloon, and garage. "McCree's waiting for us in the diner, hopefully he's alone." John pointed to the disgusting building, stains clogging the windows. He sighed, hoping that he'd have to spend as little time as possible in there. As the two entered the diner they spotted a lone man sitting in a booth that overlooked the gorge. His arms were folded on his chest; a cowboy hat had been pulled over his eyes as he sat. As the pair approached his gaze moved up, a smile flashing as he examined them. His arms fell out of his red poncho as he stood, one was a normal arm, while the other was a steel prosthetic with a logo engraved near the elbow.

"Jesse!" Tracer chirped as she ran in for a hug, the cowboy returned it with a hearty chuckle.

"It's been a long time, Lena. How the hell are you?" McCree responded as they released their hug.

"Oh just peachy, luv. This is John, he's a big fan of westerns." Tracer joked as she pointed to her companion, a surprised look on his face. _Did I ever mention my movie tastes to her?_

"Is that so?" McCree laughed as he extended his arm, "Pleasure to meet you partner, glad to hear you have taste in movies." John firmly shook his hand, then moved into the booth along with McCree and Tracer. "Word of advice before we get started, don't drink the coffee, it tastes like boiled dirt." McCree joked before a serious expression covered his face. "The Deadlock Gang isn't completely out of commission like we thought, and it looks like Talon is trying to get on their good side." McCree whispered, trying not to alert anyone eavesdropping of their intentions. "I've heard that they've brought in a shipment of prototype pulse bombs, not unlike what the little lady here uses, as a goodwill present. The plan's to break in, deal with any resistance, and get rid of those bombs, that last thing we'd want is criminals with military grade tech running around." John and Tracer nodded, "We're going to have to fight through most of the town to get to where they're holding the bombs, but that should be a piece of cake for the three of us." McCree chuckled again as he stood up, motioning for John and Tracer to follow. "You ready for this? I generally use a shoot first, questions later attitude with Peacekeeper when I'm here." McCree spun his revolver around on his finger, obviously fond of his companion.

"Ready as I'll ever be." John responded as he drew his DMR, he hadn't yet had a chance to test it in combat, _Hopefully Winston's craftsmanship is reliable._ Tracer had already blinked ahead of the two, more than ready for the fight ahead. The men chuckled as they watched her give a salute from her forward position.

"You'll head up the ridge on the left, I'll stick to the low ground with Tracer while she gets behind them. Think you can cover us, sharpshooter?" McCree patted John on the back as he caught up to Tracer.

"Yeah, I got it." John sighed as he walked through the abandoned train car that made a flimsy path up the ridge. John peered through his scope at the top, he counted several guards on the roof of the gas station, the large sign provided ample cover for them. He spotted a truck heading through a tunnel behind the building, a sealed crate sat in the bed. _Those are probably the bombs,_ John thought as he panned his scope to the ground. McCree and Tracer both sat crouched behind a rock, ready for the firefight, McCree signaled to John with his prosthetic to begin the attack. John fired a shot into the closest guard on the roof, the round ripping through his head before the others had noticed what happened. The silencer had worked as the others guards began to shout, unaware of where the shooter was. John managed to sink two rounds into the chest of another guard before they had all made it cover. _Two down isn't bad at the start._ Tracer had blinked up the ramp to the right, dealing with the guards who were in cover from John, McCree had pushed up through the interior of the building, his revolver surprisingly effective at close range. John heard a scream as a body flew out of the building, McCree was close behind as he executed the man on the ground. _I see Blackwatch's training worked well_. John moved hopped off the ridge to meet up with Tracer on the right ramp, McCree had pushed through the tunnel.

"I'll head through this opening in the cliff, head down the ridge and support McCree." As soon as John's words reached her ears she was gone, already down the slope. John through the path, stopping at the exit. Peering around the corner, he spotted three guards hiding behind a sign, this time he would be the one flanking. John fired into the closest two guards, they dropped to the ground in a puddle of blood. The third guard has stood up in shock before a shot pierced his head from out of view, McCree had taken notice of the exposed man. Tracer had moved into the saloon; flashes of blue light could be seen from the doorways as her pistols fired inside. John moved to the sign, examining the wooden walkway the stuck from the side of the gorge. Six guards stood, shouting down at McCree.

"You fucking traitor! We should've killed you when we had the chance!" One of the guards shouted down at the cowboy, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Yeah, you should've." McCree shouted back, in a flash the six men were dead on the ground. John swore he saw a tumbleweed roll by, before dropping down to reunite with his partners. "This is the place." McCree began, pointing at the large metal door before them. The sound of a dropship taking off moved their focus to the skies, a woman pulling herself inside with a grappling hook at the ship departed. "Well then, that makes things quite a bit easier." McCree joked as he fiddled with the keypad for the door. "These dumb bastards never did change their security codes." The doors slowly opened to a dim facility. Tracer blinked inside before the doors fully opened, taking cover behind a crate. McCree rolled to do the same while John took cover behind the wall the door was built into, preferring steel blocked the bullets rather than wood. The sound of a turret echoed from the halls, the Deadlock Gang was very much aware of their presence. Soon the shots landed, destroying the crates that crossed their path. McCree moved into a side room, more accustomed to CQC than dealing with an entrenched enemy. Tracer blinked up to flank the turret, her powers giving her a distinct advantage. An explosion shook the facility as Tracer reappeared behind the crate, the turret had been dealt with. John moved up to support Tracer as she moved onto the catwalks. John fired into any guards that Tracer didn't already deal with, following her from below as they reached the center of the facility. John scanned the facility, weapons had been stockpiled here by the Deadlock Gang, everything ranging from swords to bazookas. John's eyes moved to the crate that sat in the center, recently pried open. Peering inside he found a full shipment of pulse bombs, although it looked like a couple were missing.

"I got you asshole!" A voice cried out from behind John, suddenly he felt something jammed into his right arm, he yelped in pain as hooks pierced his skin. A shot rang out and the man fell over, dead. McCree ran over from the side room, a worried look on his face.

"He didn't just stick one of those things to my arm, did he?" John questioned McCree, hoping for a positive answer. McCree sighed as he examined the device, walking over to pick up some sort of axe. Tracer blinked down, concerned at the yelp she heard earlier, a shocked expression on her face as she looked at John's arm.

"Sorry partner, but that thing's gotta come off. Lucky for you, Deadlock members are notoriously stupid, so we have a full minute before that bomb detonates." McCree brandished the axe, his compassionate look staring at John.

"There's gotta be a way to get that off, luv!" Tracer shouted, her eyes pleading with McCree. He shook his head in response.

"We don't have time to get to a medic who can remove that." McCree sternly spoke, the timer had begun to tick down. John reluctantly sighed as lied down on the floor, preparing for what was to come. Tracer sat down next to John, handing him a small scrap of wood from a destroyed crate.

"Bite down on this luv, it'll help." Tracer cooed as she held onto John's left hand. His eyes were filled with fear as he nodded in response, biting down on the chunk of wood.

"Happy thoughts, partner." McCree suggested as he lifted the axe of his head. _Puppies, Overwatch, Winston, Lena-._ John's thoughts were interrupted from searing pain on his right arm, McCree had started his work. John bit down onto the wood while squeezing Tracer's hand as hard as he could. Muffled screams emerged from his mouth as McCree continued to chop. Several seconds later, McCree had stopped, throwing the severed hand across the hall they stood, the bomb went off, shaking the entire facility. John had passed out from the pain, his newly stumped arm bleeding profusely. Tracer began to tie his shirt around it, attempting to stem the bleeding. "What's that thing you say about déjà vu?" McCree joked, attempting to lighten the mood, the glare from Tracer was all the response he needed. "Tough kid." McCree stammered as he placed a cigar into his mouth, lighting it as he walked over to the crate of bombs. "I'll take care of this, get him back to the shuttle, I'll meet you there." Tracer had already hoisted John over her back, rapidly blinking out of the facility. He breathed in deeply, savoring the flavor of the smoke, before flicking it into the crate. McCree sprinted for the exit, eager to not die in an explosion of his own creation. McCree stopped after escaping the facility, counting the seconds until the bombs detonated. Before he reached zero the bombs had already exploded. "Guess I'm getting a little rusty." McCree dryly chuckled, placing a fresh cigar in his mouth, igniting it with his lighter before placing it back in his pocket. He took a deep breath, holding it in for several seconds before exhaling the smoke. Letting out a deep sigh, he made his way towards the shuttle.


	13. The Doctor is In

Tracer injected a vial into a vein in John's wrist, the substance inside should help keep him asleep. She had laid his still body on the couch, sitting behind him to hold his upper body at an angle. She glanced at the spot where his arm had once been, the cloth had taken on a deep crimson shade, though the bleeding had seemed to slow. She ran one hand through his hair, the other was laid across his chest. "It's going to be alright, luv, we'll get fixed up in no time!" Her words were more for her own sake than John's, it was unlikely that he even heard them. The jingle of spurs brought her attention to the bay door, McCree had made his way back, tossing his cigar out the door behind him.

"I'll go set our course for Gibraltar." McCree spoke, a compassionate smile on his face. Tracer merely nodded in return, her gaze returning to her injured companion. Tracer took in a deep breath before turning to face the cockpit.

"What was it like, Jesse, when you lost your arm?" She questioned to the cowboy, he chuckled as he left the cockpit, the coordinates had been set. Tracer's eyes were full of compassion, she wanted to know what McCree went through as to ease John's transition.

"Well, I'd say that it was pretty awful." McCree joked, the pair laughed as Tracer continued to comb John's hair. "I'd gotten pretty attached to my real arm, but lucky for me I wasn't left handed." McCree held up his prosthetic arm, turning it as he spoke. "You never get over the loss of a limb, occasionally I can still feel the nerves that aren't there, it's a strange pain. But eventually the sensations will come less frequently, their severity dies down too. A healthy amount of alcohol helps too." McCree chuckled as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the bar, pouring it into two glasses. "Here, drink." He pushed one of the glasses to Tracer, she shook her head, denying his request. "Trust me, it helps more than you'd think." McCree replied, pointing at his own prosthetic, before taking a swig of his own drink. Tracer sighed as she grabbed the glass, sipping a small amount. She let out a sound of disgust, McCree heartily laughed in response.

"How in the bloody hell do you drink this?" Tracer asked, her face still contorted.

"Developing a tolerance helps, mostly by powering through the taste." McCree poured himself another glass, motioning to refill Tracer's. She wildly shook her head in refusal, not wanting to have even more of the rough beverage. "More for me." McCree laughed as he sipped his glass, examining Tracer's focus on John. "So, are you two a thing or what?" He smirked as he spoke, clearly enjoying messing with her. Tracer blushed, her eyes growing wide.

"Wh-what? No, no, it's nothing like that." Tracer stammered as she avoided McCree's sly smile, sighing as she looked back down at John. "We're just good friends, it's sort of my fault that he even got involved in all this. I mean, his place in London got blown up right in front of him, and now he's lyin' here missing an arm. It's been a hectic week so far." She smiled as she began to run her hand through his hair once again, McCree made his way to the window, the shuttle had almost left the United States.

"Yeah, being a hero is hard work, but it's all worth it in the end, isn't it?" He flashed a smile to Tracer, who giggled at the sight.

"It sure it, luv!" She replied, her cheery demeanor present even now.

"Try and get some rest, Lena, it's a long flight back to Gibraltar." McCree sighed as he sat in a chair, lowering his hat over his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Tracer silently nodded as she looked out the window, watching the colors of the sky fly by.

The shuttle landed at the Overwatch base, the shake of the cabin awakening Tracer and McCree. The cowboy stood up with a yawn, stretching his arms above him as he made his way towards the bay door, pressing the button to open it. Tracer smiled as she looked down at John, he had apparently stayed out the entire flight. McCree made his way over to her, "I'll carry him, little lady, it's the least I can do." Tracer chuckled at his offer, he was still the same charmer he was in the past. She made her way out of the cabin to the dim base, McCree followed close behind. "Go find whoever you consider a medic, I'll bring our pal to the med bay." Tracer blinked off to find the person with the most medical knowledge in Overwatch, apart from Mercy, Ana Amari. She found her old captain speaking with 76, chuckling as he regaled her with his exploits in Dorado. The soldier pointed at Tracer, causing Ana to turn around.

"Cap, it's John. He's hurt really bad from the mission and we need you to help him out!" Tracer panted as she spoke, exhausted from the ordeal. "Jesse's already taken him to the med bay, we gotta go!" Ana nodded as she followed Tracer across the base. 76 had, unbeknownst to the pair, followed them to their injured comrade. Tracer burst into the room with Ana, causing McCree to jump as they made their way to the bed John laid on.

"Hmmm." Ana grunted as she examined John's bloody stump, untying the sleeve of his shirt. The fabric had become hard from the blood it absorbed, making a sickening noise as she tore the ends from each other. "I can sew this up for him," Ana spoke as she injected a needle of yellow liquid into John's neck, "But we're going to need Ziegler if we want to replace that arm." Ziegler, better known as Mercy, had expressed no interest in rejoining Overwatch, afraid it would fall into the same shortcomings as before, she didn't want to rejoin a military organization. "I can keep him stabilized, and he'll be able to move around shortly, but it won't be the same quality as what she could do." Ana spoke as she sewed the wound shut, hoping to stop any further bleeding. "Well, are you just going to stand there? Go talk with Winston about how to get Mercy on board, both of you!" Tracer had already blinked through the doorway as McCree jogged to catch up with her. "Some things always stay the same." She laughed as she finished sewing the wound. The sound of footsteps from behind moved her attention away from the now shut scar on John's arm. 76 had walked over to the bed, examining John with his cold gaze.

"How is he, Amari?" 76's rough voice spoke, slighted modulated by his mask.

"He'll be fine, but we're going to need Ziegler for a permanent fix." Ana sighed, as she glanced back towards John. "I sent those two to talk with Winston about getting her here, hopefully she'll be willing to help." 76 dryly laughed as she spoke.

"She never could resist helping someone in need, always the ideologue. I take my eyes off the kid for one day and he loses an arm? I guess Overwatch needs me as much as ever." The old pair laughed at his statement, reminiscing about the old days.

"Winston?! We need to get Mercy here now!" Tracer shouted as she entered his laboratory, unaware of his precise location. Winston slung down from the tire swing he had tied to his roof, dropping in front of her. McCree had just arrived, bent over with his hands on his knees panting heavily, quietly cursing as he regained his composure.

"Welcome back! Why do we need Doctor Ziegler, I thought Captain Amari was a trained medic?" Winston examined the worried look on his longtime friend's face.

"She is, luv, but something went wrong during the mission. John is lying in the med bay with an arm missing, we need Mercy to set him up with a prosthetic like Jesse has." Tracer speedily told Winston, pointing to the exhausted cowboy at her side, he had gotten accustomed to deciphering her when she speaks this franticly.

"Oh my god, I'll try and contact her immediately. Athena, try and contact Doctor Ziegler."

"Right away, Winston." The disembodied voice of the AI replied. A large screen displayed the interface of the video call, and the empty screen soon displayed a blonde-haired doctor inside of it.

"Winston, I've already told that I'm not interested in rejoining Over- "Mercy began as she looked at who was on the other end of the call. "Lena? Jesse? How are you both?" The doctor smiled warmly at the reunion with her old friends.

"Doctor, we need you here to help us with- "Winston was cut off by Tracer.

"Luv, we need you here to help out our friend John. He got injured on a mission and is missing an arm, we really need you here to help take care of him, please." Tracer pleaded with the doctor on the screen, staring at her with empathetic eyes. Mercy was silent at first, before letting out a deep sigh.

"I suppose it would be against my Hippocratic oath if I ignored a patient in such dire need of help… I can be there within a day, is that acceptable, Lena?" Tracer eagerly nodded in response, profusely thanking the woman. "I'll see you all soon." Mercy ended the call, leaving the three alone in Winston's lab.

"You should get some sleep, Lena. You too Jesse, you both had a long day." Winston compassionately spoke.

"Yeah, I suppose it's time to hit the hay. I wonder if my old room is still around." McCree joked as he made his way out of the lab, Tracer followed as they made their way to their beds.


	14. A Phantom Pain

John woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily, he glanced around the dark room and noticed that it wasn't his quarters. _Oh, please tell me all of this was a dream. I fell and hit my head in my flat, right?_ John's thoughts were interrupted by a stinging pain from his right arm, glancing over at the sensation he noticed that his arm stopped just below the shoulder. The pace of his breathing increased, he stared in shock at the missing limb, convinced that this was a nightmare. He placed his feet on the cold ground and began to walk to the sink at the end of the room, a small switch lit up the outline of the mirror. John stared at himself in the mirror before reaching to turn the sink on, habitually with his right arm, before reluctantly using his left. His hand shook as he splashed water on his face. _What the fuck happened?_ John strained to remember the events leading up to his hospitalization. _Deadlock Gorge, Lena and I met McCree, we started fighting through the streets. We made it to a big factory or something, and we cleared the interior._ John's breath became shallow as he neared the moment of truth. _Someone stuck a bomb to my arm… Then McCree had an axe, and Lena was comforting me…_ John had remembered what happened, McCree chopped his arm off to save his life, though John passed out during the process. John looked down at himself, he was wearing the olive cargo pants he was provided when he first joined, and a black t-shirt. _How long was I out?_ His eyes shot to the lone window in the room, the darkness of the base was his answer. _It was daytime on the mission, right?_ John made his way to the small table near his bed, a small bowl of oatmeal had been left for him, still warm, along with a spoon and a note. _Get well soon, luv! – Lena_. John picked up the spoon and attempted to eat the meal provided for him. With every motion the spoon shook wildly, luckily the oatmeal was thick enough to not spill out. Suddenly, a shock of pain went caused John to drop the spoon. He felt his right arm trying to move, the nerves that were no longer connected cried out in agony. John yelped in pain as he attempted to clutch his right arm in vain, knocking the meal to the ground with a crash. The phantom of his arm remained in his psyche, and the nerves, though not present, were very clearly real. He fell to his knees in pain, still trying to grasp the arm that wasn't there. Someone came running into the room, though he couldn't see through the pain.

"John? Oh, Christ!" Lena's voice spoke out from the doorway, she blinked over to the counter and grabbed a needle full of yellow liquid, injecting it into his neck. "It's alright luv, it'll be over soon." Lena held onto John as she spoke, attempting to calm him down. His breathing slowed, and the screaming subsided into a whimper. Lena tightened her grip on him, trying to help him through this. "Shh, shh, it's okay." She cooed as John relaxed into her arms, the needle had done its job.

"Lena?" John quietly asked as he turned his face towards her, his eyes bloodshot and watery. Neither of them spoke as John wrapped his arm around Lena, returning her hug. John quietly sobbed into her chest, her warm embrace letting his emotions flow freely. The two of them sat on the floor for some time, eventually she hoisted John to his feet.

"Get some sleep, luv, we can talk about this in the morning." Lena spoke as she helped John back into his bed, placing the covers over him. "I'll stay here for a bit, just in case." She whispered as she made her way to a chair near the bed. John silently nodded, closing his eyes as the drug's effect overwhelmed him, he was asleep in a matter of seconds. Lena sat there, watching him sleep, before eventually closing her own eyes. She awoke to a noise from her communicator, adjusting her eyes to the rays of sunlight that shone through the window. She had fallen asleep while watching John, a message appeared on the screen before her. _Mercy just got here, figured you'd want to know. – McCree_. Lena stood up and ran out to the landing pad, the Swiss doctor stood at the end of the platform, conversing with Winston. "Thank god you're here, I'll take you to him." Lena spoke, interrupting the conversation between the two. Winston nodded as he began to walk back towards his laboratory, Mercy and Lena hurried to the med bay. "He woke up last night screaming in pain, it looked like he was trying to grab his right arm." Lena spoke, a tremble in her voice. Mercy placed a hand on her shoulder, then made her way to the side of John's bed. "You can fix this, right luv?" Lena pleaded with the doctor, a small smile on her face.

Mercy sighed, and then turned to look at Lena. "The physical damage isn't too severe, it's good that the wound was sewed up so soon. I can acquire a prosthetic for him with little issue, I brought a few with me after Winston expanded on your briefing. My real concern is the psychological damage, losing a limb isn't easy to deal with, even Jesse needed help when dealing with his new ailment." The smile on Lena's face faded as Mercy spoke.

"But he's going to be okay, right?" Her eyes wide with concern. Mercy sighed again before speaking.

"He should be able to make a full physical recovery, but I don't know enough about his psychological state to make a prognosis on that yet, but I'd expect him to be fine." Mercy pulled her friend into a hug, the younger woman returned the gesture. "Get some more sleep, Lena. We'll let you know when he's awake." Lena nodded as she left the room, making her way back to her quarters. She passed by McCree, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a brown t-shirt.

"How is he?" McCree spoke, hoping for a positive answer.

"Mercy says he should be able to make a full recovery, but she's not certain." Lena's tone was flat, exhausted physically and emotionally. McCree rustled her hair with his hand, attempting to cheer her up.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, if a little cowboy like me can pull through it, I'm sure he can." McCree laughed and smiled at her, earning a small chuckle in reply.

"Yeah, you're right." Lena's tone had brightened, she waved as she disappeared into her quarters.

John grunted as he struggled to open his eyes, still groggy from whatever Lena had injected him with. A new voice spoke to him; with an accent, sounding from somewhere in Northern Europe. "It's okay, try to relax." The voice said, attempting to soothe him. John's eyes began to properly adjust to his surroundings; the sun had filled the room with light. He glanced over to the side of the bed where he saw a blonde woman standing over him, the light of the room giving her an almost angelic quality.

"Mercy." John quietly spoke, his voice faint. The doctor nodded in return, a smile on her face.

"It's good to know that you're aware of who I am. How are you feeling?" She asked, concern on her face.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck." John muttered as he glanced around the room, his gaze falling on his arm once again. His breathing began to accelerate again, before Mercy put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, we're going to get you through this." John's breathing began to stabilize, her words calming him. "Have you… felt anything from your arm?" Mercy questioned, holding a clipboard in her hands.

"Yeah, last night I think… A shooting pain went through my arm, I felt it with nerves that aren't there anymore." John's visage darkened as he recalled the event, a slight tingle began on his right side.

"Have you experienced any emotional trauma lately, apart from this event?"

John sighed, preparing himself mentally to respond. "I had my home in London explode in front of my eyes, losing all of my ties and memories of the city, along with some very personal mementos." His thoughts turned to the photograph on his nightstand, he and his squad standing alongside some heroes. Mercy began to write on her clipboard before looking up again.

"Would you say that the people here have been supportive?" Mercy questioned, curious for the sake of both the patient and herself.

"Without a doubt, I don't think I've ever met anyone as supportive as Lena. She… helped me during the episode." John averted his eyes from Mercy as he mentioned the pain again. She scribbled something onto the clipboard before placing it aside, moving to the foot of the bed.

"Thank you very much for your answers, let's move on to some procedures. There's two main options relating to your arm; we could leave it as is, or we could use a prosthetic limb to replace it. Which would you prefer?"

"The prosthetic." John didn't hesitate to answer, hoping to regain full control of his body again.

Mercy nodded, "I've brought a couple of models with me to give you an idea of what to expect, we can tailor them to match the size of your other arm." She pulled a cart over from the side of the room, placing it at the foot of the bed. Three prosthetic arms sat on top; one had a red and black color scheme and looked very industrial, the second had a color like John's skin, attempting to recreate what was lost, and the final had a glossy black finish, with gold accents along the fingers and knuckles. John carefully examined the three prosthetics, Mercy handed him one at a time so he could feel the materials they were made of. The red arm was course and rough, the skin-toned one was smooth with a slight texture to it, and the black arm was slick, though the hand itself had textured padding lining it.

"I'll take the black one." John spoke, a smile crossed Mercy's face.

"Excellent choice, we can proceed with the surgery immediately if you'd like." John nodded, eager to dull the pain he felt. Mercy placed a mask over his mouth, motioning for him to breathe deeply. After a few moments, John's eyes closed and the bed was moved to the operating room.


	15. New Sensation

McCree stared into the window of the operating room, Mercy had recruited Ana to help with the operation, since she had a wealth of experience. John was laid out on the table in the center, a clear mask over his face, his chest rhythmically rising and falling as he breathed. Mercy had begun to attach the prosthetic to John, a cap was placed just below his shoulder to allow the replacement to be removed as he wished. McCree took a deep breath of his cigar, interesting in watching someone else have their arm replaced, he wasn't awake for his operation all those years ago. A soft green light reflected from the window, McCree turned to find Genji standing next to him. "Christ, Shimada, we really need to put a bell on you." He joked, Genji chuckled in return.

"I would prefer to not be likened to one of your livestock, cowboy." Genji laughed, McCree joining in, though he never had a choice regarding them, the cyborg easily related to the struggles that prosthetics presented. Most of his body was made up of mechanical parts, only a few vital organs and his head remained original, the work of his brother Hanzo. "I shall help him accept this change, it is the least I can do." McCree scoffed, pretending to be offended.

"How come you never did that for me?"

The two chuckled, "I was not the same man then, though your attire would have made any monk laugh you out of the temple." McCree waved as he left, hearing the cyborg mutter something in his native tongue, before making his way to the mess hall. He noticed Soldier 76 sitting at a table, his attention focused on the tablet that he held. McCree sat down across from the man, a rough grunt emerged from the mask of 76. The two sat in silence as McCree poured himself a glass of juice from the pitcher on the table, he never did do well when he couldn't talk.

"So, what's with the whole getup? You have you name printed on the back of your jacket, and have the whole American color scheme going on."

"I could ask you the same thing, cowgirl." 76 chuckled, his focus still on the tablet in his hand.

"Hey, I'll have you know plenty of people are intimidated by my six-shooter." McCree replied, he always was a fan of the old trope of a western gunslinger.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they're terrified while you reload after six shots, how scary." 76 let out another dry chuckle, McCree joined him.

"So you must be an American, right? I mean the color scheme and voice are a pretty sure thing, but I didn't expect anyone other Americans to be a part of this yet, I mean the original Overwatch only had a handful."

"Yup." 76 replied, still focused on the tablet in his hand. McCree stood up, glancing at his communicator, the screen showed a message. _The operation is complete; he should be awake in a few minutes – Mercy._ "Nice talking with you, partner." McCree chuckled as he made his way towards his quarters. He stopped outside of Lena's door, knocking on it with his metallic arm. "Rise and shine, Lena, I've got good news." He heard a groan from the other end of the door, the door slid open shortly after. Lena stood there in a tank top and shorts, her wild hair even spikier than normal.

"Jesse? What is it, luv?" Lena yawned as she spoke, prompting a chuckle from the cowboy.

"I figured you'd want to know that he's about to wake up from the operation, he's back in the med… bay…" Lena had already blinked past McCree and down the hall. "Ah, to be young." McCree sighed as he made his way to his own quarters, chuckling as the door shut behind him.

John awoke to the sound of voices nearby, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. His eyes once again adjusted to the light of the room, it wasn't the first time he'd been drugged in here. As his vision cleared, he noticed Mercy standing at the foot of his bed, a smile on her face. "The operation was a success." She spoke, her soothing voice was a welcoming sound to hear. John glanced at his right arm, just below his should began the black metal arm he had chosen. Attempting to stimulate the nerves of his arm caused their actions to be mirrored by the prosthetic, he could feel every twitch and turn of the arm. Bringing it closer to his face, he slowly rotated his arm to examine the replacement. He could feel with his arm again, though the sensation of touch was dulled in the mechanical arm, it was there. John's eyes began to water as he ran his new fingers along the fabric of the bed. "It will take some time to get properly adjusted to the weight of your new arm, but we'll help you every step of the way. In the meantime, you have a visitor." John looked up to find Lena walking into the room, her wild hair a contrast to the smile on her face. "I'll give you two some alone time." Mercy smiled as she left the pair.

Lena pulled John into a hug, he returned the gesture, his new arm clanking against the back of her accelerator. The two laughed at the sound, releasing their embrace after several seconds. "You look great, luv! The new arm looks pretty spiffy!" Lena laughed, her warm energy filling the room.

John chuckled, "Yeah, I think I can get used to it, it would go great with a suit. I wanted to thank you, for sticking by me during all this." John's tone got more serious, deeply thankful of what Lena had done for him during this ordeal.

"Of course, luv! That's what friends do, they help each other out!" Lena gave her signature two-fingered salute, smiling brightly as she did so. "We're going to be making lunch soon, we can talk more later!" Lena waved as she left the room, Mercy stepping back in behind her.

"It's good to have support when you need it, you should be able to rejoin your friends shortly, we'll just get you more acclimated to the change." Mercy placed several objects of varying shapes and sizes onto the table at the side of the bed. "I want you to pick each up these up with your left hand, fully examining them, and then doing the same with your right. Let me know if there's any discrepancies between the two. John examined several of the objects before coming to a weight, his left arm seemed to struggle a little when lifting it, his right arm managed to bring the weight much higher, almost jerking upwards. Mercy let out a small giggle as he did so. "You'll get used to the strength of your new arm quickly, it can be a little jarring at first." John laughed, returning the weight to the cart. "Did anything feel strange? Like you weren't properly feeling it with your right hand?" John shook his head in denial.

"The sense of touch is a little duller in the right, though I can still make out what I'm feeling." Mercy nodded.

"That's perfectly normal, your nerves will take a little time to adjust. You should be fine to join them in the mess hall, I'll be on site if you need anything else, please check in with me later today." Mercy smiled as she opened the door, shutting it behind John. Walking down the hall he passed by Ana, the two smiled at each other.

"How is my little _jundi_ doing?" Ana asked.

"Your what?" John questioned, he only spoke English after all.

"Never mind," Ana chuckled, "I believe Lena is waiting for you in the mess hall, I prepared lunch for you two." John nodded in thanks as he made his way towards the mess hall, sitting at a table in the center was Lena, her head lying on the table. John laughed as he made his way to her, placing his right arm on her shoulder. Lena awoke with a jump, glancing over her shoulder at him, a tired smile on her face.

"Hey there, luv." She softly spoke, groggily rubbing her eyes as she straightened her posture.

"Hey, Lena, didn't get much sleep on my account, eh?" She nodded, yawning as she did so.

"I can't get much sleep when a friend of mine is hurt, I've gotta make sure they're okay! But now that you're here, let's eat!" Lena's energy had returned as she began to dig into the meal Ana prepared. John sat down across from her, doing the same. Picking up the spoon in his right hand, John bent the metal in his grip, a tinge of redness crossing his cheeks.

"Guess I don't know my own strength." He joked, hoping to avoid the awkwardness of the situation.

"It's alright, luv!" Lena spoke as she blinked over to a drawer behind the counter, pulling out several more spoons. "Bend as many as you'd like!" Giggling as she placed the pile of spoons next to him.

"You always have a way of lightening the mood." John laughed as he picked up a fresh spoon, using a more delicate grip. The two finished their meal, gossiping about their time together as part of the new Overwatch, as well as some of Lena's stories about Ana and McCree in the past. Lena let out a loud yawn as John stood up, she was still exhausted, even if her energy said otherwise. "We're going to get you to bed, Miss Oxton." John joked, as he lifted Lena up bridal style.

"John, put me down!" Lena protested, laughing as he carried her towards the residential quarters. She told John the combination to her room, he entered it with his left hand, his right was strong enough to carry her alone, at least momentarily. As he entered the room he saw a wealth of British memorabilia, a large flag was pinned to the wall above her bed, an excessive amount of tea was left by her tea brewer, and several model aircraft were placed along the shelves in the room. John gently placed Lena onto her bed and smiled.

"I'll see you when you've had some actual rest." John joked as he ruffled her hair with his right hand, then sensation felt strange through the metallic grip.

"Fine, luv." Lena pouted, crossing her arms across her chest, attempting to look as sour as possible. John walked out the still open door, making Lena's two-fingered salute with his new hand, he heard a giggle as the door shut behind him. _Now to clean up_. John thought as he opened the door to his own room. Making his way into the bathroom he glanced at himself in the mirror. His hair was wildly unkempt, barely a trace of its original style remained, and his skin held a dry look to it. He chuckled as he turned on the shower, using his left arm to gauge the temperature. He let out a deep sigh as he stepped inside, looking forward to feeling fully refreshed.


	16. Cause for Celebration

John slipped on a grey t-shirt, his prosthetic arm contrasting with the colors of the fabric. He walked into the bathroom, styling his hair using the mirror, then slipped on a pair of jeans. He longed for the olive-green jacket he wore constantly in London, though it was little more than ashes now. He glanced out the window as he made his way to the door, the sun had begun to set over the bay, the lighthouse nearby had just activated. John made his way out to the cliff he sat on when he first arrived, hoping to enjoy some time alone without being in a hospital bed. _Oh, shit, Mercy._ John thought, as he stepped outside, he had promised the doctor that he would check back in with her. He ran back inside and made his way to the familiar med bay, hoping the doctor was still inside. Opening the door, he shouted without looking around, "I'm not late, am I?", he glanced at the woman seated before him.

"You're fine, just try to remember to see me sooner next time." Mercy chuckled, standing up with a container in her hand. "This is a small amount of the needles that were used on you during your stay here, they should help if you ever experience the pain again, but try not to take them if you're doing something that requires motor control. They make you quite drowsy, as you might remember." John nodded as he took the case from her, it was small enough to fit in his pocket. "When I say small supply, I mean it, there's only about 4 needles in there, so come back to me if you need more." A soft smile was one her face as she spoke.

"Thanks, Doctor Ziegler, for everything you did. I was frankly surprised that they brought you in just to help me." John chuckled, he didn't expect to ever see Mercy again, she was quite adamant against the direction the old Overwatch took.

"Well, I can't ignore a patient in need, besides, I think I can do more with Overwatch than I could without, provided they don't fall into the same habits. That was all I needed, take care!" Mercy waved as John left, returning the gesture before the door shut. John made his way back outside, finally able to relax as he had planned. He sat down on the ledge, hanging his legs off the side, much like when he first arrived. Reaching into his pocket he grabbed a pack of cigarettes, carefully extracting one with his right arm as to not crush it. He grabbed the lighter out of his rear pocket and lit it, taking a long drag of the substance before exhaling. He relaxed his posture as he exhaled, savoring the flavor, his eyes watching the sun on the horizon. The sound of an engine broke his trance, he glanced over to the path running through Gibraltar to find a large truck had parked on the side of it. In the bed of the truck sat a giant of a man, his face held a large scar crossing over one eye. In the driver's seat was a much smaller man, he had a large beard and wore a welding mask that was folded above his head. John laughed as he stood up, flicking his cigarette off the cliff, _I guess the last couple of originals have finally arrived_. The larger man stepped out of the bed of the truck, his muscular form apparent even beneath the clothes he wore. The smaller man dropped out of the driver's seat, his left hand was some sort of mechanical device. John walked up to the pair of men, Torbjörn was the first to notice him, as the large Reinhardt was examining his surroundings, his eyes full of nostalgia.

"Hm, you some sort of recruit?" Torbjörn questioned, eyeing John up from, quite literally. Reinhardt turned, looking at his companion.

"Is that any way to greet a comrade, Torbjörn?" Reinhardt bellowed, offering John his large hand. "It is good to see that Overwatch still has some members left!" A shocked look crossed John's face as he shook Reinhardt's hand.

"You remember me?" He questioned.

"Of course! I remember all the soldiers I led into battle, you were with me during the Battle of Numbani! How long has it been, a decade?"

"Close to it, sir, it's good to see that you're still eager as ever. A pleasure to meet you, Torbjörn, we never met during my time with the original group." John extended his prosthetic arm to the dwarf, he reluctantly shook it. "If you'll follow me, I can show you to your quarters." Reinhardt hoisted two large bags over his arms, he and Torbjörn had brought a few personal items along with them, one of them was cylindrical in appearance. The three walked into the mess hall, where Reinhardt placed the cylindrical bag onto a table.

"I'll leave this here for later, it's a gift for my friends!" John laughed, the enthusiasm of Reinhardt was comparable to Lena's. They continued onwards to the quarters, Torbjörn entered his door, John could've sworn he heard a faint cheer from the other end of the door, before he reemerged. Reinhardt entered his room, setting down the other bag he carried, "It is good to be back!" Reinhardt spoke. John glanced around his room, he spotted several posters of David Hasselhoff, along with a record player on a table, almost all of them bore Hasselhoff's name. "Let us gather up our comrades and celebrate the reunion!" Reinhardt bellowed, almost shaking the room he stood in. Several doors opened at the sound of his loud voice. Lena, McCree, and Genji had all emerged from their quarters, investigating the source of the disturbance. Lena quickly blinked to Reinhardt and gave him a hug, the giant returned in, her small frame almost disappearing in his arms. "It is good to see you, Lena! How have you been, my dear?"

"It's great to see you too, big guy! I've been pretty busy helping Winston since we all dispersed." Reinhardt bellowed with laughter again.

"Is that McCree I see? Come here my boy, it's been too long!" The cowboy obliged as he extended his hand to Reinhardt.

"It sure has, partner. You haven't changed one bit." McCree chuckled.

Genji saluted the German, "It is good to see you, sir." Reinhardt pounded his fist on his chest, returning his own salute to the cyborg.

"Come, my friends, I have brought a gift for all of you!" The giant led the team to the mess hall, Torbjörn had left during the reunion to set up the surprise. A large keg of ale sat on the table, it bore the symbol of Reinhardt's lineage, a stone lion face. Several mugs had been placed around the keg, likely contained in the same bag, a look of pride shone on Reinhardt. "The finest German ale, only the best for my good friends!" Mercy and Ana had walked into the room, recognizing the bellowing voice of their old friend. Mercy hugged the large man, waving to Torbjörn, though Reinhardt's focus was on Ana. "Ana? I thought you were dead!" The look of pride had shifted into surprise.

"It's been a long-time Reinhardt, I needed some time to think things over. I see this life of adventure has been good to you." Ana spoke, hugging the giant man.

"And you are looking as lovely as ever." Reinhardt replied, his chivalry was a hallmark of his attitude. Each member of the large group grabbed a mug and filled it with the ale Reinhardt had supplied. "A toast to Overwatch, and to our friends!" Reinhardt bellowed, lifting his mug high into the air.

"Here, here!" The crowd replied, raising their mugs in similar fashion. The crowd soon separated into smaller groups; Mercy, Ana, Reinhardt and Torbjörn sat at one table, McCree, Genji, John, and Lena at another.

"So, how are you liking your fancy new arm, partner?" McCree asked, pointing with his own prosthetic.

"I'm not quite used to it yet, but I'm getting there. Although I'm a little jealous of your color." The table laughed, McCree loudest of all.

"It's a Blackwatch special, a really exclusive color." He chuckled, taking a swig of his mug. "Of course, neither of ours hold a candle to yours, eh Genji?" McCree playfully punched the cyborgs shoulder with his prosthetic, the metals clanking against one another.

"I suppose not, though it seemed as though the procedure was much shorter than mine." Genji laughed, his would've taken at least four times longer than their procedures.

"All we need to do it get Lena here a fancy arm, and we'll have a little gang!" McCree laughed, his friends joining him.

"I'm fine with what I have." Lena chuckled, "Although my accelerator has to count for something, right?"

"We'll make an exception for you." John laughed, sipping his mug. The party lasted into the late hours of the night, Mercy and Ana were the first to leave, not eager to drink too much. Genji had silently disappeared at some point in the night. Reinhardt and Torbjörn were passed out on their table, several empty mugs strewn around them. John and Lena had paced their drinking throughout the night, feeling nothing more than a slight buzz. McCree was quite visibly intoxicated, his speech had become slurred, and his movements sloppy.

"I swear to god; you guys make the cutest couple." McCree slurred, a slight blush tinged John and Lena's cheeks.

"Thanks, cowboy, though I think you should hit the hay soon." McCree grunted in response, attempting to take another drink of his mug. His face soon slammed into the table, accompanied by his loud snoring. John and Lena laughed as John reached into his pocket, withdrawing his communicator. The screen held a message, _Got a mission for you and Lena, head to my lab when you can. – Winston._ The two stood up and made their way outside, stepping out into the cold night air. John shivered as he and Lena made their way to his lab, never wishing for his old jacket more than now. "Any chance I could get you to share that jacket?" He questioned, looking at Lena with pleading eyes.

"You could learn a thing about chivalry from Reinhardt!" Lena giggled, pulling her jacket tightly around her. "Sorry, luv, it's mine!" John let out a deep sigh, leaving a small trail of steam in the air. They walked up the ramp into Winston's laboratory, he kept the interior warmer than outside, much to John's relieve. "What do you need, luv?" Lena shouted as they entered, Winston appeared from around the corner.

"Good to see you both, I assume that Reinhardt's little party went well?"

"How did you know about that?" John asked.

Winston chuckled, "I gave him permission to bring the keg, I figured everyone would appreciate a small break. I recently got a communication from a man named Lúcio, you may know him as a famous musician. He's expressed a desire to join Overwatch, wanting to do some good for the world, he'll be in Numbani on a tour in a couple of days. I'm sending you two there a day early to get adjusted to the city, before inviting him to join the team. Think of it as a mini-vacation, I doubt there will be any combat during this mission." Lena hugged the gorilla, prompting a smile from Winston, while John shook his hand.

"Thank you so much, luv! I always wanted to meet Lúcio!" John and Winston both chuckled, unaware that she was a fan of the musician. The pair waved as they made their way back outside, a lone figure stood by the cliff that John was at earlier. As they drew closer they could make out the appearance of Soldier 76. He turned towards them as they passed by, a dim red light shining from his visor. Lena and John both waved to their comrade, he merely nodded in return and returned his gaze to the sea. _I can't imagine what he feels being back here, though I doubt he'd ever want to talk about it._ John and Lena both separated into their quarters, packing small changes of clothes for the trip to Numbani. They reconvened in the shuttle bay, Lena was already on board as John walked up the ramp.

"You ready, luv?" Lena questioned, somehow still energetic despite it being well into the night. John merely yawned in return as he placed his bag on the couch, using it as a makeshift pillow. Lena laughed as she moved to the cockpit, the shuttle lifting off soon after, John shut his eyes as they shot off into the night sky.


	17. Numbani Nectar

John awoke with a yawn, the couch in the shuttle wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on. He glanced outside the window to find the sun rising into the sky, they were almost at Numbani. On the other half of the couch slept Lena, taking up much less space than John did during his nap. He chuckled as he ruffled her hair, a groggy groan was his reward. "Five more minutes, luv…" Lena quietly muttered, rolling covering her eyes with her left arm.

"Fine, but you're getting up then." John made his way to the bar, looking for anything non-alcoholic to start his day with. A small coffee maker was placed on the shelves near the bar, a couple bottles of water sitting next to it. He pulled a small plastic contained labelled coffee out of the cupboard, placing it into the machine and shutting the lid. Popping open the back, he poured in a bottle of water, then placed a mug underneath the dispenser. Pressing the button labeled brew, he was the scenery below fly by. After emitting an unsightly noise, the machine shot out coffee into the mug below, John chuckled as Lena let out another groan. He ejected the carton labelled coffee and placed on labelled tea inside, pouring another bottle of water in and placing a fresh mug underneath, expecting Lena to want a drink as well. The machine emitted the noise again, and soon the mug was filled with tea, another groan came from the couch.

"Well I'm awake now…" Lena sighed as she sat up, looking at John. He brought over the two drinks, placing Lena's in front of her before sitting down. She grabbed the mug, smiling in thanks, before taking a sip. "Bleh!" Lena blurted out, "This tastes like shite, luv!" John laughed as he took a sip of his coffee.

"The taste isn't great, but it can help wake you up." John chuckled, suppressing the urge to mimic Lena's noise after again tasting his coffee, there was no sugar or milk to speak of in the shuttle. "Tell you what, when we land I'll take you to get a real cup of tea."

Lena folded her arms across her chest, "Fine, but you're paying!" she pouted. John laughed in response, taking another sip of his drink. He glanced out the window again, seeing a green field as vast as an ocean, with a towering city at the center. He nudged Lena's shoulder to grab her attention, pointing to the sights below.

"It's been a long time since I was last here, I think I spent more time in that field than I did inside the city." John spoke, remembering the battle that had taken place years earlier. A massive amount of Bastion units had come to assault the city, Overwatch had banded together with the Crusaders to put a stop to it, along with the local military. The shields of the Crusaders kept their comrades safe, their shots able to pierce the barrier, but no enemy fire could break through. John had been under Reinhardt's command, who himself was under the command of a man named Balderich. The losses were heavy on their side, but eventually the remains of the Omnics littered the field. The shuttle flew into the city limits; they could leave the shuttle in a hangar since they didn't need to use surprise. Lena moved up to the cockpit, the autopilot was unable to automatically land the shuttle in a hangar, there were too many variables. John joined her up front, watching as they flew close to their hotel.

"Come in Overwatch Shuttle, we have prepared a hangar for your usage, please proceed to bay E54." A voice spoke from the communicator.

"Roger that!" Lena chimed back, turning the shuttle to the allocated hangar. She skillfully landed the shuttle inside, a small crew awaited them to restock their ship. "They're really pulling out all the stops, eh luv?"

"Yeah, I guess they're still thankful that we saved their city." John chuckled, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. The pair walked down the lowered bay door, entering the hangar they landed in. It was a modestly sized space, with a set of machines near the elevator to allow guests to check in when they landed. John made his way to the machines, inputting the details of their reservation. "Oh look at that, a king suite. I guess we're bunking together." _Playing matchmaker, eh Winston?_ John grabbed the two keys the machine dispensed, tossing one to Lena. "Let's drop off our stuff and grab that drink I promised." Lena giggled, the two entering the elevator and pressing their desired floor. The hotel was a marvel of engineering, the base was a large common area that housed most of the staff, the amenities, as well as some stores. Mid-way up the tower were the hangars that they had just left, and above those were the rooms, located near the top of the spire. The elevator stopped, sliding open the doors in front of them, revealing the floor there were staying on. Walking down the hallway, John internally counted the room numbers; M _20, M21, M22, M23… M24._ They had reached their room, John slid his key inside, pushing the door open. The room was a fair size, a large window overlooked the city and the fields beyond. The king bed was placed to one side, a nightstand on each side. Across from the bed was a couch, with a television hanging on the wall in front of it, a small desk was placed in the corner. The bathroom held a walk-in shower along with a separate tub, a large mirror and two sinks completed the room. John tossed his bag onto the bed, resisting the urge to lay down on it. Lena had done the same, though she quickly blinked towards the door. "Ready for that drink?" John laughed as he made his way to the door.

"Remember, you're paying!" Lena giggled, opening the door for him. The two made their way back to the elevator and down to the city below. The streets of Numbani were narrow, with tall buildings reaching into the sky at every corner. The pair made their way to the end of the street, a small building labelled Kofi Aromo earned their attention. A picture of a lion head above a cup of coffee was emblazoned on the side of the building, Lena led the way inside, grabbing them a place in line. Once they had reached the counter, Lena gave the attendant her order, he then looked at John, expecting another order. John shook his head, handing him his credit chit, it was briefly inserted into the register before being returned, John grabbed a small table while Lena stood by the counter, waiting for her drink. John glanced out the window as he waited, almost every human had an Omnic by their side, Numbani was quite vocal in its support of equal rights for all. Lena sat down across from him, her beverage emitting steam from the small hole in the top. "It's a great city, isn't it?" She spoke, her gaze focused outside the window as well.

"Yeah, a nice change of pace from how hectic London can be, although it has its charms." John threw a wink towards Lena, earning a giggle from the woman. John stood up, motioning for her to follow him out of the café. "I need to pick up something while I'm here, last night in Gibraltar made me realize how much I miss my jacket." John chuckled, eyeing the buildings for a men's clothing store. His walked into a store with the logo of a bull on it, they specialized in leather apparel. Browsing through the aisles, John's eyes focused on dark gray jacket, sporting a collar much like Lena's famous jacket, along with zippers flanking both sides of the center. Small pockets were placed on the shoulders, and the back was completely bare. John tried it on, rolling up the sleeves to expose his arms, the black and gold prosthetic completed the grays of the jacket. Lena gave him a thumbs-up and a smile, the two made their way to the counter where John paid for the jacket, intent on wearing it out. The pair resumed their exploration of the city, finding several large advertisements of Lucio's coming tour.

"Trying to impress me with your style, luv?" Lena laughed as she took another sip of her drink.

"Hey, I've gotta look good when I'm out on the town." John chuckled, placing his left hand in his pocket. He wrapped his right arm around Lena, pulling her closer to him. "Besides, I can't look bad with you by my side!" John laughed again, and Lena did the same.

"People are going to think we're dating if we walk around like this." Lena laughed, a blush spread across John's face.

"Sorry, I'll take my arm off- "Lena interrupted him.

"It's fine, luv!" Her cheery face smiled up at him. _What the fuck am I doing_ , John thought, pondering the relationship that he and Lena had. She was always very hands-on, and quite vocal about her emotions, was this just part of that? John sighed, not wanting to spend his time here just thinking. John's eyes panned the streets for something to do, his eyes settled on a sign advertising the new Doomfist exhibit at the museum.

"Does that sound interesting?" John questioned, pointing to the sign with his left hand. Lena laughed in return, he was unsure of what was funny about his question.

"Sure, luv. It'll be nice to see it in a museum that isn't a warzone." Lena giggled, remembering her fight in the Overwatch Museum against Reaper and Widowmaker. John chuckled, unsure of what she meant, but was happy she agreed to his suggestion. The couple made their way towards the museum, the sun just passing its highest point.


	18. Sense of Déjà Vu

John and Lena continued down the narrow streets, following the signs pointing to the Numbani Heritage Museum. They continued down a long road which ended in front of the museum, multiple banners advertising the newly acquired Doomfist Gauntlet were hanging off the side. The pair continued to the ticket window, though no employees were in sight. "Something isn't right." John spoke, his expression serious, Lena nodded and surveyed the area. "We should've seen a guard, a customer, anything by now." Lena withdrew her pulse pistols as the carefully walked into the foyer of the museum. History exhibits lined the walls, with multiple dioramas hanging from the ceiling, suspended by metallic cables. A large staircase led up to the second level, that was where the Doomfist exhibit was, John glanced behind the desk in front of the stairs, a guard was left underneath. John put his fingers to his neck, attempting to find a pulse, he looked at Lena and shook his head, the guard was dead. He picked up the pistol the guard held on his waist, preparing to move up to the exhibit. A loud crash sounded from ahead, alarms began to wail as the pair sprinted up to the exhibit. A woman with purple skin had plucked the gauntlet from its casing, glancing over at the two heroes who had entered. She wore a tight purple bodysuit, zipped halfway down, and carried some sort of sniper rifle, along with infrared goggles on her head.

"Widowmaker!" Lena shouted, moving closing to the woman, she laughed at the mention of her name.

"Reaper, we have some friends for you to play with, I'll secure the prize." Widowmaker spoke, shooting her grappling hook into the air. "Adieu, chérie." She spoke, pulled up out of the skylight in the center of the exhibit. A black mist seeped into the exhibit, blocking out any light that came from above, a deep cackle resonated throughout the hall. John felt his skin crawl as he panned the room for signs of who made the sound.

"Ah, it's the little pup who couldn't protect a single Omnic. And who is this you've brought with you, a friend?" The voice slowly spoke, every word seethed with the rage it held. "One down."

John was tackled to the ground by Lena as a shot rang out in the hall, she had pushed him out of the way of Reaper's blast. The two stood up, eyeing their newly materialize opponent. It was the same man who had destroyed John's flat in London, and who was fighting 76 and Ana before he recruited them. "Now that I see you up close, I recognize you… You were the one in London hiding our little friend, we assumed the explosion killed you, though I see you didn't escape unharmed." John felt Reaper's gaze focus on his right arm. "This time…. I'll finish the job." A deep laugh emanated from behind the mask, he turned his head slightly to one side before a large amount of smoke surrounded him. "I am the Angel of Death… I… am the Reaper…"

"Get to cover!" Lena shouted, jumping behind an exhibit, John quickly did the same, not wanting to witness whatever was to come. Reaper writhed in ecstasy, again laughing before he began to widly spin around, his movements almost impossible to follow. Shots flew out from every direction with Reaper at the center, everything that wasn't behind a wall was immediately obliterated in a hail of bullets. The cover Lena and John hid behind was beginning to waste away, it wouldn't resist much more of this punishment. "Follow my lead, luv." Lena spoke, as she blinked past the death blossom to the other side of the room, Reaper's shots followed her and then focuses onto the new exhibit she hid behind. John moved to a fresh piece of cover, firing his pistol as he moved to draw Reaper's attention. The shots panned from Lena's cover to John's, it seemed he could only focus on one enemy or all of them, unable to focus on anything in between. A black mist circled around John's feet, a taloned glove grasped onto his right leg, dragging him from cover out to the center of the room. Reaper stared down at John, his death blossom had faded, preferring to take a much more personal approach to executing his enemy. His taloned glove grabbed John by the throat, squeezing tightly as he dragged the man into the air.

"Yes…" Reaper mused, examining John's futile attempts to pry his hand away. "Scream for me… Let it all go… Die…" John was almost unable to breathe; his opponents grasp tightened as he stared with his mask slightly cocked to the side. John watched as Lena blinked behind Reaper, attaching a small bomb to his back, Reaper growled as he faded again into mist, dropped John to the floor. "How long are you going to protect your little pet, Oxton? You could let him die and save yourself, you could even kill me." Reaper's bitter words echoed through the hall. John reclaimed his dropped pistol, panning around for where Reaper would next appear. "I can kill them both…" Reaper growled, speaking to an unseen voice. "Acknowledged…" A guttural growl emitted from the mist before it dissipated out of the skylight. John visibly relaxed as Lena made her way over to him, grabbing him in a hug.

"You alright, luv?" She questioned, looking up at him with compassionate eyes.

"Thanks to you." John chuckled, ruffling her hair with his right hand. "So, is this anything like the last time you went to see the gauntlet?" Lena laughed as she released the hug.

"Almost exactly, got a real sense of déjà vu!" John threw his pistol to the side as they left the building, "Remind me to give Winston shit over his whole 'not likely to have combat' shtick." John sighed, rubbing his neck with his left hand, a small amount of blood had been drawn from Reaper's sharp grasp. "Let's just grab dinner, or something where I won't get assaulted." John chuckled, pulling Lena close to him.

"Aye, aye!" She laughed, leaving the street that the museum was located on. The two found a small restaurant nearby, apparently specialized in South American cuisine. John glanced at Lena with a questioning look on his face, she nodded as they entered the restaurant. Sitting down at a table the waiter presented them each with a menu, bowing as he left. John glanced around the restaurant, hoping that Reaper had truly left the city. "Oi, luv, is that Lúcio over there?" John turned his gaze to where Lena had pointed. A man with large dreadlocks sat at a table alone, a pair of bionic legs began below his waist, though he was not wearing his characteristic green visor. "Oh my god, it is!" Lena squealed, trying to contain her enthusiasm.

"You want to get a picture with him? We need to talk with him anyway." John suggested, Lena had already stood up before his sentence had finished. "Excuse me, Lúcio? My friend here would just love a picture with you, she's a huge fan." John spook, pointing to the giddy Lena at his side.

"Sure, anything for a fan!" Lúcio smiled, standing up from his seat. John stood to the right of Lúcio and wrapped his left arm around him, making a peace sign with prosthetic hand; Lena wrapped her right arm around Lúcio and made the symbol with her left hand, a massive grin on her face. Lúcio stood between the two, wrapping an arm around each, a grin rivalling Lena's on his face. A waiter had taken Lena's phone to capture the moment, a flash from the camera signaled them to release their embrace. "So, are you fan here for my concert tomorrow?" Lúcio questioned, sitting back in his seat.

"Yes and no." John responded, "We're here on behalf of Overwatch to recruit you, but we'll definitely be at the concert."

"Whoa! You guys are with Overwatch? You should've told me that when you came up to me, I love you guys! Join me for dinner, it's the least I can do!" Lena immediately sat down, John let out a small chuckle as he did the same, thanking his host. "This meal is on me; I won't hear any complaints!" Lúcio emitted an energy like Lena's, energetic and compassionate. "I am so glad you guys agreed to let me join Overwatch, I can do tons of good through my music and charities, but I feel like I can do even more."

"That's very compassionate of you, most musicians just put on the philanthropy aspect for the cameras." John replied, he held a cynical view of most philanthropists, though Lúcio's words struck him as authentic.

"Ever since I had a run in with Vishkar I've been focused on fighting for the freedom of oppressed people. Those psychos set up some of their 'rehabilitation facilities' in my hometown, place hasn't been the same since. They don't want to help people in need, they just want to control them like animals."

"I've heard similar complaints of Vishkar's methods, thankfully I've never had to see them in person." John replied, Lena just stared starry-eyed at the musician. Lúcio laughed as he glanced over to her, she shook her head to awaken from her trance.

"Well, I can tell by that look on your face that you're a true fan of my music, how did you like Synaesthesia Auditiva?"

Lena looked like someone had just asked her to describe the appeals of British tea. "Oh my god, it's the greatest thing I've ever heard luv, I can't stop listening to it. 'We Move Together as One' has gotta be my favorite, I can't help but dance when I hear it!" John and Lúcio both laughed.

"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, I'm sure the concert will be to your liking. Tell you what, I've got a couple of backstage passes on my, how would you two like to be my guests of honor?" Lúcio pulled a pair of small tickets out of his pocket, placing them on the table. "Think of it as a present to my new teammates."

Lena held the biggest smile John had ever seen on her face, her eyes wide in surprise. "We'd love to." John spoke, Lena was unable to speak from pure shock. The three laughed as Lena realized the expression she held on her face, the waiter had brought several plates and placed them on the table.

"Dig in, the chicken stew is to die for." Lúcio spoke, placing several pieces of shrimp on his plate. The trio ate their meal together, discussing the appeal of Numbani and the freedom it provided, Vishkar's methods, along with the appeal of Lúcio's music. John and Lena stood up, waving goodbye to their new friend, Lúcio had assured them that he'd take care of the bill, even when John insisted that he pay as the guest.

"Glad to see you enjoyed yourself, I thought you were going to explode from all that energy." John chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Lena, pulling her close.

Lena leaned into John as they walked, "It was the best, luv, I can't wait for tomorrow." John laughed as they made their way back to the hotel, preparing for the next day.


	19. Synesthesia Auditiva

John groggily awoke in the king-sized bed, next to him lied Lena, still asleep. John slowly pushed himself out of beside and into the bathroom, stopping in front of the sink. The room was dimly lit from the light outside, though the sun was high up, the clouds blocked out most of its warming gaze. John sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror, the redness of his neck had softened, though had not completely faded. Splashing water on his face, he walked to turn on the shower, hoping that the warm water would be able to rejuvenate him. He grabbed a gray t-shirt and brown jeans, they were all he had brought for their two-day trip, along with a pair of black canvas sneakers. John quietly placed the clothes in the bathroom, hoping to not wake Lena. He glanced over at her before shutting the bathroom door, she was clearly exhausted from yesterday's experience. John sighed as he entered the shower, allowing the water to completely envelope him, the escape that the shower provided was divine. John thoroughly rinsed his hair, a small amount of black tar seemed to have been stuck to his scalp, likely a by-product of Reaper's abilities. Thinking about the man sent a shiver down John's spine, even with the warm water running over him. He was the physical embodiment of death, and rumor was that he was unable to die himself, cursed to live in eternal agony as his body slowly broke down and then rebuilt. He recalled reading an article about the infamous mercenary, medical experts had concluded that advanced nanomachines allowed Reaper to become incorporeal at will, reassembling whenever he wished. John shut off the shower, drying himself with a towel before stepping out. He slipped into a fresh pair of boxers before shaving his face, intent on keeping his stubble as short as possible. After donning the rest of his outfit, he left the bathroom, Lena slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Good morning, luv." She softly spoke, yawning as she stretched her arms.

"Good morning." John laughed, "Lucky for you the concert isn't until tonight, so you can sleep in if you'd like." Lena quietly laughed before sitting up in the bed, her hair sticking up in its usual spikes.

"Nah." She yawned, "Someone's gotta keep you out of trouble." John chuckled as Lena blinked to her bag, withdrawing her trademark orange pants, along with her white shoes. Her flight jacket laid on top of the desk chair, placed there during the previous night. John looked at what Lena was wearing, a small pair of black boy shorts and a white tank top, her accelerator stuck out from a hole cut into the center of the fabric. John was brought back to reality with a whistle from Lena, "Eyes up here, luv." She winked as she disappeared into the bathroom, the door shutting behind her. John inwardly chastised himself before glancing down at the streets below. He noticed a strange group of men in black attire carrying some sort of crate into an alley. He wrote a quick note on a piece of paper, leaving it by Lena's jacket, _Saw something weird outside, going to check it out. Meet me in the alley outside our window when you're done. – John_. He slipped on his new jacket before heading to the elevator, stopping at the ground level. He made his way down the street to find the alleyway he spotted from above, one man stood guard at the entrance holding a silenced rifle, the side of the weapon bore the logo of Talon. John quietly snuck as close to the guard as he could, waiting for his moment to strike. The guard brought his hand to hit mouth to yawn, John quickly grabbed the guard and began to put him into a sleeper hold with his prosthetic arm. The guard struggled before he passed out, John grabbed his rifle and continued into the alleyway. He remembered counting four men from above, that meant there were three left somewhere in this alleyway, along with whatever cargo they had. Two guards stood watch while the final one tampered with the crate, seeming to have difficulty opening it. John peered around the corner, the distance wasn't too far, though he couldn't blink like Lena could. One of the guards started to walk towards John's position, unaware of the man hiding behind the corner. He grabbed the guard by the neck, using him as a human shield before leaving his cover. The commotion attracted the attention of the other two guards who raised their weapons at him. John fired into them with the rifle, his prosthetic arm able to absorb the recoil of the rifle before he subdued the guard he used as a shield, he tried not to leave a trail of bodies during his vacation. The guard closest to him had become unconscious from the pain of the shots, John had intentionally shot non-lethal areas. The guard by the crate groaned in pain, John tossed the rifle to the ground before glancing at the slightly opened crate. Peering inside, he found the familiar sight of pulse bombs, his right arm stung in response. Grabbing the guard with his prosthetic arm, John slammed him into the side of the alleyway, tightening his hand around his throat.

"What were you planning to do with these, huh? I'm quite aware of how deadly your little pulse bombs can be." John continued to tighten his grip on the Talon soldiers neck, his face began to turn blue. "Answer me, or I make sure this is the last conversation you ever fucking have." John growled, his personal vendetta had begun to twist his moral code. The soldier stared into John's eyes with fear, met with the cold gaze of his would-be killer.

"John, stop!" He heard a female voice call out from behind, the sound of her footsteps drawing closer. John didn't register the sound, his grip continued to tighten on the man's throat, intent on getting answers or killing him, whichever came first. He felt Lena's arms hug him from behind, "Stop, luv…" she quietly spoke into his back. John hesitated for a moment, his emotions at war within him, as he stared at the fear-stricken eyes of the man he held. John slammed him into the wall once more before dropping him, the soldier's ragged breath the only sound in the alleyway, John glared down at him, holding back the urge to kill the man before him. He wrestled free of Lena's grasp before leaving the alleyway, intent of finding somewhere to drink his sorrows away. Lena had crouched down beside the soldier, making sure he was alive, before quickly incapacitating him. She blinked back out to the street, John was nowhere to be seen. John silently walked down the passages of Numbani, his eyes settling on a small bar that was serving alcohol now. He glanced up to find the sun in the center of the sky, he silent muttered something about high noon before entering the building. John ordered the strongest drink the bartender had, and then a couple more, before sitting at a lone table in the corner. His arm still stung in pain, the discovery of pulse bombs had triggered something in his memory, he pulled out the small container that Mercy had given him back at Gibraltar, injecting a needle into his neck before returning the case to his pocket. The pain subsided as John took downed a drink, it's bitter taste filling his throat. John quickly drank the other two glasses before he felt a rumble in his pocket. He withdrew his communicator to find a message on its screen, _Can we talk, luv? – Lena_. John sighed before responding, _Yeah, meet me at the park near the hotel._ John left several credit chits on the table as a tip before leaving the dimly lit bar. He made his way back towards the hotel, a small park stood across the street from the entrance, several benches littered the area, with a large abstract statue placed in the center. John sighed as he sat down on a bench, taking a cigarette out of his pocket before placing it into his mouth, igniting it with his lighter. He took a deep drag before Lena had arrived, blinking towards the bench. She sat down next to him, a worried look on her face. "Luv…" Lena began, quietly speaking to her companion, "What happened?"

John took another drag of the cigarette, slowly exhaling it into the air. "I dealt with the Talon forces, and tried to press them for information, is there something wrong with that?" John bitterly spoke, unable to express his emotions constructively.

"I know that we deal with them all the time, but never like _that_. You were strangling him, luv, that's not something that heroes do." Lena cooed, trying to console John.

"They took my home, Lena. They took my arm; they tried to take my life. I'm not a hero, I'm just a vigilante." John sighed, taking another hit of his cigarette.

"That's not true! You are a hero, one of the best I've seen! You're trying to make the world a better place, that's what heroes do! It's fine if you lose your way, because your friends will be there to bring you back!" Lena smiled up at John, hoping to have her friend back.

John sighed again, "I need time, Lena, I promise I'll be back with you before the concert, but I gotta work through some stuff." Lena nodded, hugging John.

"Take as long as you need, luv. I'm here for you, we all are!" John waved as he stood up, leaving the small park for the streets of Numbani. He found a terrace overlooking the lower regions of the city, their towers stretching high into the sky. John leaned on the railing, watching the flow of traffic in the air, so hectic and yet controlled. He took another drag of the cigarette, savoring the flavor it gave him. _What a shitshow these past weeks have been,_ John thought. In such a short amount of time he had his flat destroyed, his arm chopped off, and almost killed on several occasions. _She's right, though. I can't just mope around from all this; I have a responsibility._ John continued, before his thoughts turned to his mission in Afghanistan, remembering his pledge to repair the damage he did. _I have a duty._

It was evening by the time John returned to the hotel, he entered his room to find Lena sitting on the couch, watching the television. The program was talking about the crowds for Lúcio's concert, with helicopter footage of the massive stadium it would be taking place in. Lena glanced over to the door where John stood, she blinked over and pulled him into a hug. "You alright, luv?"

John chuckled as he stroked her hair with his right hand, "Yeah, I'm alright. Let's head to the concert." Lena's eyes perked up at the mention of the event, she was already out the door before John realized she had released their hug. Running to catch up to her, he got onto the elevator just as the doors shut. "You could've waited for me, you know." John chuckled, Lena letting out a small giggle. Down in the streets below they booked a taxi, driving to the stadium on the other side of Numbani.

"Oh shit, luv, I forgot the tickets!" Lena shouted, searching all her pockets for the small pieces of paper. John let out a laugh, which was met be a glare from her. He withdrew the two tickets from his jacket pocket, her glare turned into a laugh as he did so. When they reached the stadium, there was a massive line in front of the doors, John and Lena made their way to a side entrance. They handed the guard at the door their tickets, he opened the door behind them with a smile.

"Enjoy the show, you two." John and Lena found themselves behind the stage for the event, dozens of people ran around preparing while Lúcio could be seen in the back. His head turned to the door, waving at the couple as he skated over. He wore a golden suit with a pair of skates on the bottom of his bionic legs, he held a large golden frog helmet under his arm.

"Hey! Glad you two could make it!" Lúcio spoke, pulling the pair into a hug. "I'll let you guys use my room while I'm out there, the TVs inside can show you the show, there's some catering in there too if you get hungry." The crowd began to cheer as the lights dimmed, "Oh, that's my cue, enjoy the show!" Lúcio skated off to the stage. Lena pulled John behind her, blinking into Lúcio's marked room, a large television sat on the wall, focusing on the dim stage. The lights suddenly sparked on with the sound of Lúcio's music, the crowd began wildly cheering, shaking the room they were inside. He had begun the set with _We Move Together as One_ , likely for Lena's benefit. Lena began to wildly dance, pulling John towards her to get him to join. He let out a laugh as he began to dance, his moves paling in comparison to Lena's. _I guess they will always be there to bring me back up_ , John thought, dancing with Lena to the music.


	20. Movie Night

John and Lena sat in Lúcio's room, both panting from the intense amount of dancing they did throughout the entire concert. They had both taken off their jackets, which helped cool them off. The door to the room opened, and Lúcio skated in. "You look like you two had fun!" He said with a laugh, beginning to take off his golden suit, placing the frog helmet on a table. John and Lena merely chuckled return as they sat on the couch, not wanting to leave its soft embrace. "Well, I'm all done here, so let's head to your place?" Lúcio asked, he had changed into his more standard outfit, a green tank-top and his normal bionic legs. John grunted as he stood up, dragging Lena to her feet, the three set out to their hotel. Back in the hotel, Lena had placed a black substance into a jar, it sat on the counter near their bags.

"So, Reaper left some of that shit on you too?" John questioned, Lena nodded in response.

"I figured I could show it to Mercy, see if she can find anything out from it."

"That's… Way better than what I did with it." John stammered, Lena glanced over at him.

"You didn't just throw it away, did you?" She laughed as John sheepishly turned away, that was all the confirmation she needed. They grabbed their bags and returned to the elevator, pressing the button for hangar E54. Their shuttle sat in the hangar, fully stocked from when they arrived, John disengaged the lock and lowered the bay door. Lúcio skated up the ramp first, Lena followed with John bringing up the rear. They placed their bags on the ground before Lena moved into the cockpit to pilot the shuttle out of the hangar. Lúcio and John sat down together on the couch, their eyes focused out the windows. The shuttle lifted off, flying out into the spires of Numbani before it crossed the city limits, the green fields below were barely visible in the darkness of the night.

"So," Lúcio began, "You guys are a cute little couple." John laughed, he didn't blame the musician for thinking they were romantically involved, McCree thought the same thing, and John himself was unsure of their relationship. Lena had begun to make her way down to the couch, plopping down beside John, still tired from the concert.

"Yeah, I guess we are." John shot a wink to Lena, who gave him a confused look before closing her eyes. John propped his shoes up on the table and leaned back into the couch, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm going to try and get some sleep, the couch is as good as it gets on here, so settle in." The flight to Gibraltar was a few hours long, more than enough time to get a nap in. John closed his eyes, hearing the soothing sound of music from Lucio's earbuds. Within a matter of minutes, he was out. John slowly opened his eyes, out the window he could see the Rock of Gibraltar, where the base of the same name was located. He felt something on his shoulder, looking over, he saw that Lena was using him as a pillow, a soft smile crossed his face. Lúcio was asleep beside him, his mouth hanging open as his head leaned back on the couch. John waited until the shuttle had landed, slightly shaking Lena. "Wake up, we're here." Lena awoke with a yawn, smiling at John, who proceeded to shake Lúcio awake. With a snort, the Brazilian awoke, greeted with a chuckle from his companions. "Come on, superstar, we'll show you to your room." Lúcio nodded as they left the shuttle, making their way to their quarters. "We'll introduce you to the gang tomorrow, I need some sleep." John stretched his arms above him as they walked down the hallway, a door had been labeled _Lúcio_ , it had already been prepared for their guest. "This is your stop, good night." John waved, as he and Lena continued down the hall. "Good night, Lena." John pulled her into a quick hug before continuing to his room, the door shutting behind him. He threw his bag onto the couch, slowly making his way to the bed. He fell onto the mattress, rolling the covers around him, before letting sleep take him once again.

John awoke a few hours later, the sun was high enough in the sky to be shining through his tinted windows. With a groan, he made his way out of the room, focused on getting something to eat without being shot at. He spotted McCree and Lena at a table, quietly conversing, a quick survey of the room showed most of the gang there, though 76, as usual, was missing. With a yawn, he sat down beside Lena, leaning onto her. "Good morning, sunshine." She spoke, taking a sip of her juice. McCree laughed, John merely grunted in reply. He sat up and poured himself a glass of juice, taking a sip to start his day.

"I heard you and the little lady had quite a time in Numbani, apparently, that concert was quite fun. Keep this up, and you might score her, partner."

"Jesse!" Lena shouted, a blush on her face. John and McCree both laughed, they had become good friends in a short amount of time.

"On a more serious note," McCree began, "I heard you had a run-in with Reaper." John took a bite of his toast before responding.

"Yeah, if it weren't for Lena I'd probably still be in that museum." He chuckled, she had saved his life there.

"He can be a tough one, I've only seen him once or twice, though I've never had the chance to shoot him. I've heard rumors that Reaper is actually Reyes, back from the dead, how spooky is that?" McCree chuckled, putting no stock into the rumors. John almost choked on his juice, hitting his chest a few times to regain his composure. "Whoa, easy there, it was only a joke." McCree laughed, beginning to stand up. "I'll leave you two love-birds alone, wouldn't want to spoil the moment." He waved as a walked away, his body shaking from his laugh.

"You would not believe how many people have asked if we're a thing." John spoke, taking another sip of his drink. Lena quietly sat next to him, before looking over.

"Well, we kind of are, aren't we?" John began to choke on his drink again, a small giggle came from Lena. "I mean, we hang out almost all of the time, and we were pretty touchy-feely in Numbani, you could even consider the concert like a date!" She laughed as she spoke, a blush tinged John's face.

"Yeah, I guess we are." John spoke, unsure of where to take it from here.

"I'm gonna drop that stuff by Mercy, you want to tag along?" Lena spoke, standing up from her seat. John nodded, following her lead to the med bay. The blonde doctor sat at her desk, typing away at the computer she had. "Mercy, luv, we brought you a souvenir from Numbani!" Lena chimed, carrying the jar of black substance in her hand. Mercy spun her chair around, accepting the gift.

"Oh, I had hoped you meant an actual souvenir, a globe would've been nice." Mercy chuckled, placing the substance onto a small pad before placing it underneath a microscope. "Hmmm…." Mercy slowly zoomed in on the substance, a small portion of it was actively moving, though not noticeable to the naked eye. "These look like some sort of nanomachines, where did you get these?" Mercy turned to question the pair.

"You're never gonna believe this, luv, but we fought Reaper in Numbani! We scared off the wanker, but he left a little bit of that stuff on the two of us. Somebody threw their sample away." She turned to glare at John, who let out a small chuckle, Mercy nodded in response.

"I can examine this during my stay here, hopefully we can figure out what Reaper is made of and how to stop him." Mercy was all too aware of his inability to die, she had pioneered research in the field of nanobiology, which likely led to the development of nanomachines like this. "I want to hear all about your trip later, Lena, I hear it was quite the adventure." Mercy smiled, she and Lena had been friends back in the original Overwatch.

"Of course, luv!" Lena sang, she and John leaving the room. "Well, I think that went pretty well, we might even get some intel out of it!" Lena bore a proud look on her face, John chuckled as they walked down the hall.

"You're never going to believe this, but I heard that McCree is going to have a movie night in an hour, he's apparently convinced Winston to let him use his laboratory for the party." Lena looked at John in disbelief.

"You know he only ever shows westerns, right luv?"

"Aw, come on, it'll be fun! Think of it as another date!" John laughed, wrapping his arm around Lena as they walked.

"Alright, luv, but I get to choose the next one!" Lena laughed, not as fond of westerns as McCree or John. The sun was high in the sky, McCree had set his party for exactly 12pm, he had a strange fascination with high noon. John and Lena walked into Winston's lab, seeing their cowboy friend tinkering with a projector. A quick glance around the room revealed a modest turn out, Soldier 76 sat towards the back of the room, alone as usual, Reinhardt had taken up a bench alone, and Genji sat silently in the front row. McCree looked up as the two entered, walking over and hugging each of them.

"I'm so glad you two came, you guys are going to love this!" McCree laughed, his enthusiasm was palpable.

"You better have _The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,_ Jesse." John laughed, returning his friend's hug.

"Oh you know it, partner, feel free to grab a seat wherever, I gotta finish setting up the projector."

"I have a crazy idea, Lena, why don't we sit with 76 back there?" Lena flashed him a smirk.

"Really, luv, you want to sit with him? I bet we can get him to laugh before the night is over." John laughed, clearly enjoying the idea of getting 76 to break out of his shell.

"I bet we can, Oxton." John and Lena sat down next to their comrade, a grunted as they approached. "76, I didn't know you were a fan of westerns, they're almost as old as you." John joked, Lena gave him a thumbs-up.

"You can't beat the classics, that goes for soldiers too." 76 grunted, his visor pointed towards the screen as it flickered to life, McCree had begun to feed film into the projector.

"You know, if Jesse was half as good in combat as he is at reciting western quotes, he might be able to beat you." Lena chimed, hoping to get a rise out of the older soldier. A small chuckle emitted from his mask, though you wouldn't be able to hear it from more than a couple of feet away. Lena and John both stared at the mask in disbelief, unable to comprehend that they could make him laugh at all. The lights in the room dimmed as the screen counted down from 3, the show had begun. John wrapped his arm around Lena and pulled her close, happy to spend time with her.


	21. Family Photo

They were about halfway through the first film when every communicator in the room buzzed, everyone looked at their own device simultaneously, they all had gotten the same message. _Everyone meet in the mess hall; we have something important to do – Winston._ "Aw, shit." McCree rang out, moving to stop the projector, "I guess we'll have to put a pin in this." Everyone stood up to make their way to the meeting, John and Lena passed by McCree as they left.

"We'll do this sometime for sure, McCree, even if it's just us two!" John laughed, slapping McCree on the shoulder. He let out a small chuckle, walking with the two to the meeting. "So, what do you think is so important that Winston needed to send a message to everyone?" John questioned, his hands in his pockets.

"I dunno, but it's probably not good, meetings never were a fun part of our past." McCree let out a dry chuckle, lighting a cigar in his mouth.

"Oh, cheer up, luv! I'm sure it's nothing bad." Lena chimed, she had her arms behind her head as she walked, leaning back slightly. John chuckled at her undying positivity, they entered the mess hall to find all the tables had been pushed to the sides of the room. A large camera had been set up on one side, with multiple lights pointing at a wall opposite the device. The rest of the Overwatch crew was already there, the trio were the last members to arrive.

"A group photo? What a wonderful idea, my friend!" Reinhardt bellowed out, pulling Winston into a hug.

"Well, now that we've gotten the team back together, I figure we should commemorate the occasion, like old times." Winston spoke, his size dwarfed by the large German. Almost everyone in the group agreed, with 76 being the lone voice that didn't seem too keen on the idea, though he made no attempt to leave. "Alright everyone, we're going to put the tallest members in the back, with the shorter ones up front." Winston directed everyone to their place. Reinhardt, Winston, and Zenyatta brought up the rear, the Omnic could adjust the height he floated at with ease. 76 and Ana flanked the right side, with Mercy standing to the left along with Genji. McCree stood towards the front of the group, still smoking his cigar, while Torbjörn stood at the center alongside Lúcio. John and Lena stood on the opposite side of the Swede, John wrapped his arm around Lena as they prepared for the photo. Everyone began to take their chosen pose; McCree would simply stand there smoking, Reinhardt had begun to flex, Zenyatta made a small peace sign, Genji held two fingers in front of himself, Mercy and Ana merely smiled, 76 crossed his arms, Torbjörn bore a serious look on his face, John placed his left hand in his pocket, and Lena did her two-fingered salute. "Alright everyone, 1, 2, 3!" The camera flashed, emitting a polaroid photograph, along with saving a copy digitally.

"Could I get a copy of that?" John spoke, several others expressed their interest as well.

"You can have the first copy." Winston replied, handing him the freshly printed photograph. John glanced down at it and smiled, this was different than the one he had taken during his first time with Overwatch, this felt like a family photo. He was brought back to reality by the voice of Winston. "I've got a job for you three, by the way." He pointed at McCree, Lena, and John. "There's a couple of criminals on the loose in Australia, and they'd appreciate our help in dealing with them. Apparently, they're going solely after Omnics, it doesn't matter if they're hostile or not." John sighed, not expecting to head back out so soon, he enjoyed the time spent on the base.

"Only if I get to hogtie them when we turn them in." McCree laughed, taking another drag of his cigar.

"Jesse, be safe out there, I wouldn't want to have to replace your arm again." Mercy joked, a smile on her face.

"For you, doc, of course." McCree laughed as he made his way to the shuttle bay. John went to his room to quickly change before the mission, Lena did the same. John slipped on the clothes from Numbani; the gray jacket he recently purchased, a black t-shirt, brown jeans, but donned a pair of combat boots instead of the canvas pair he wore. He emerged from his room to find Lena wearing her typical outfit, orange pants and all.

"You ready, luv?" Lena questioned, making her two-fingered salute. John chuckled as they walked towards the shuttle bay, where McCree stood at the bottom of the shuttle ramp.

"There you are, I was beginning to think you were spending a little personal time together." McCree laughed, his spurs jingling as he walked up the ramp into the cabin. "I can't believe Winston interrupted my movie night just to send us on a mission, I'm starting to think he just wanted his lab back." McCree sat down on the couch, he had already poured himself a glass of whiskey. Lena quickly blinked to the cockpit to program the autopilot, John had sat down next to his gruff friend. McCree slid him an extra glass he had poured, before lifting his own glass for a toast. John tapped his glass against McCree's before they both took a swig of their drinks, each man sighing after they did so. Lena blinked back and sat down on the couch, McCree threw a folder onto the table. "Winston gave me a little intel on our guys, they seem like quite the cards. The first one is Jamison Fawkes, otherwise known as Junkrat, he seems to love explosions, apparently, that's how he lost his leg." McCree slid the paper to the side, revealing another file with a masked figure on it. "This big guy is Mako Rutledge, but he goes by Roadhog. He carries a large hook to bring his opponents to him, so try and keep your distance. They've done a real number on the Omnics in Australia, part of some group called the Australian Liberation Front. Don't let the name fool you, they basically destroyed the outback by detonating the core of an omnium." John sighed as he glanced over the file.

"So, what, we're just bounty hunters now?" He questioned, looking at McCree.

"Nah, it ain't like that. These two have caused some real damage to innocents, they've done literally millions in property damage on practically every continent, they even blew up the Hyde Global building in Sydney. There we a lot of innocent people in that building, they're some real sick bastards. Word is they're about to hit another Omnic settlement in Australia, and we're there to stop them, and, hopefully, capture them."

"Alright," John began as he placed his DMR on the table, "You've convinced me." The shuttle landed in a dusty plain a few miles outside of Sydney, though they weren't quite in the outback, large chunks of metal jutting out of the ground could be seen from miles away, their massive forms dwarfing any nearby trees that remained. The trio walked down the ramp of the shuttle, the Omnic village they were sent to defend wasn't too far away, a klick at most. As they walked to the village they each surveyed the surrounding landscape, it was almost as inhospitable as Deadlock Gorge, though it still held its charms. The wildlife was still present here, several small mammals could be seen running around in the underbrush, along with several birds dotting the sky. The trio stopped just outside of the Omnic village, the gate slowly opened to reveal an Omnic wearing some sort of robe.

"Thank you for coming." The Omnic spoke, walking to greet its guests. "We are happy to welcome members of Overwatch to our village, we owe you a great debt. We are a peaceful village, we do not take place in combat of any kind, why we have attracted the attention of these criminals is unknown."

"I think they just hate you." McCree dryly joked, surveying the outside of the village.

"Well, would you look at that. Looks like the bots picked up a little bit of help, eh, Hog?" A voice spoke in a thick Australian accent, the trio turned to see the pair of criminals had just walked up to the village, uninterested in using any elements of surprise. "Well then, if you're gonna stand between us and the bots there, we're just going to have to go through you!" Junkrat raised a grenade launcher, preparing for the imminent battle. Roadhog silently stood at his side, brandishing a shotgun and hook. "What do you say we go for the lass first, eh Hog?" Junkrat spoke, his companion merely grunted in response. The hook that Roadhog held suddenly shot out, bringing Tracer right to him. She quickly rewound, appearing back at the side of John. "Oh, well that's a nifty little trick!" John had already moved to use a fallen tree as cover, McCree squatted down next to him, Tracer was rapidly blinking around to distract the criminals.

"Okay, let's focus on Junkrat first, I don't want to have a limb blown off." John joked, McCree nodded and began to fire his revolver from cover, trying to the force the Australian to move. John prepared to fire from behind the log when it suddenly began to move. Within moments it was jerked away from the duo, Roadhog had removed their only piece of cover. "Ah fuck." John began to fire at the larger man, intent on breaking his hook. The shots didn't seem to faze Roadhog, he slowly began to make his way towards John, brandishing his hook. Tracer had been blinking around, deftly avoiding the grenades that Junkrat was firing, though the pressure it put on her made her unable to counterattack. McCree had moved from where the log once laid, firing rounds into Roadhog's stomach.

"Go help out Lena, I'll deal with the big guy!" McCree shouted, fanning the hammer of his revolver to rapidly fire into Roadhog's stomach. The large man flinched before grabbing a yellow container from his pocket and injecting it into his mask. John took the opportunity to move closer to Junkrat, the criminals had separated a short distance from when the battle began. An explosion knocked John to the ground, Junkrat had placed a concussion mine on the ground just as the battle began. His DMR was thrown from his grasp, though he had landed closer to Junkrat. The man's attention was still focused on Tracer, and John ran towards him. Leaning into his right side, he threw all his weight into a punch with his prosthetic arm, the heft of the metal added quite a bit of force to his strike. The punch connected with the Australian's face, emitting a sickening crack as the metal collided with his cheek bones. Junkrat was launched backwards towards Roadhog, the larger man glanced down at his comrade. John quickly ran to retrieve his rifle, regrouping with McCree and Tracer.

"You bloody wanker, no one punched Jamison Fawkes and lives to tell the tale! Hog, we'll finish this later, I think we've bought enough time for our friends. I'll be back to finish our little score." He glared at John with fire in his eyes. Roadhog picked up Junkrat and began to run towards a vehicle with surprising speed, before they took off down the roads of the outback.

"What did he just say? They bought time?" John looked to both his teammates, who shrugged in response. Suddenly his communicator rang, he was getting a call from someone. _Winston_. John brought the communicator to his ear, "Winston, what's up?"

"There's been an attack on the base, it's Talon, they knew we were here. The tried to take some data, but we barely managed to stop them, Reaper was with them. We need you guys back at base, 76 might have some intel on where they're hiding."

"We'll get back there as soon as we can." John sighed, hanging up the communicator and placing it back into his pocket. "Talon hit Gibraltar while we were here, it doesn't sound like anything serious came of it, but we might have a lead on where they're based out of. Seems like we'll be able to settle the score with Reaper." The three quickly returned to the shuttle, Lena took the controls in order to get them back to base as soon as possible, Talon would be on the defensive soon.


	22. Cavalry's Here

The shuttle soared through the Bay of Gibraltar, landing on the small pad at the Overwatch base. John, Lena, and McCree quickly exited the shuttle, glancing around their base. Several bodies of Talon soldiers we littered around the base, whatever assault they had planned was not without cost. Mercy quickly jogged to the landing pad, greeting her friends. "It's okay, no one is seriously injured, it looked like they were after whatever you brought back from Numbani. Follow me to the med bay, I've made a breakthrough."

"I'll catch up with you later, I've gotta check on some things." McCree waved, vanishing into the base. Lena, John, and Mercy entered the med bay, gathering around a small sample of the black material. Mercy dropped a small amount of liquid onto it, the material wildly convulsed before slowly melting away. John and Lena looked at Mercy with stunned faces.

"So, what exactly does this mean, doc?" John questioned.

"It means that we finally have a way to deal with Reaper, a larger amount of this substance I made should be enough to shut down the nanomachines in his body, causing him to literally break apart."

"Well look at you, luv, always finding new ways to cheat death!" Lena spoke, John had to stifle his laughter at her poor joke, Mercy gently smiled at her.

"Oh, 76 said he needed to see you two, he's down in the cargo hold with a prisoner. I'd hurry, I don't think he's planning on being cordial." John and Lena sprinted off down the hall, taking the ramp down to the cargo hold. The large room was almost empty, save for several lines of shelves with a few crates sprinkled among them. At the end of the room stood 76, his red visor emitting a soft light, as he stared down at a man he had handcuffed to a shelf.

"I'm going to ask one more time before I start to get physical, was your friend telling the truth? Is Reaper hiding out in Cairo?" 76 shrugged his head to his right, the body of another Talon agent was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. The handcuffed agent quietly whimpered, tears in his eyes.

"You don't have to be here for this, I'll come get you when he's finished." John turned to Lena, attempting to block the interrogation from her sight.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass on this, luv." Lena quietly chuckled before blinking out of the room. A loud scream pierced the air of the hold, 76 had kept his promise. He had begun to push the man's free arm in the complete opposite direction it should be facing, John felt his blood run cold as he witnessed this brutality.

"This is just the start, kid. Is Reaper in Cairo or not?" 76 continued to bend the man's arm further back, it was one the verge of snapping. "3… 2… 1…" A sickening snap reverberated in the hold, the man's arm was beyond repair.

"Yes! Oh, my god, yes! They're in Cairo, all they told us was something about Anubis!" The man shrieked in agony, crying freely as the soldier extracted his information. "Please believe me!" He pleaded with his captor.

"Oh, I believe you." 76 coldly responded, pulling a pistol from his waist and firing a shot into the man's skull. The soldier turned as John approached, somewhat pleased he had watched his methods. "Could Oxton not stomach the show?" 76 dryly laughed, wiping blood from his mask.

"Jesus Christ, Jack, what happened to you?" John stared at his old commander in shock, unaware he was capable of such brutality. "I mean, I heard the stories of what you did in Dorado, but I always thought they were exaggerated. How do you justify _this_?" John motioned to the two agents dead on the ground, a small amount of blood trickled from the fresh corpse's wound. 76 growled as he holstered his pistol.

"I'm getting intel, at any cost. This is war, kid, you can't afford to be soft now." 76 began to walk past John towards the exit of the cargo hold, "And now we know where they are, and we can finally finish this." John glanced once more to the corpses, his heart full of pity, before following 76 out of the room.

"Did Mercy tell you about what she found? A way to stop the nanomachines in Reaper's body from regenerating. She's got a small amount ready, so we'll have to be careful."

"Good, now we can finally kill him." 76 coldly responded as they made their way to the shuttle bay, the rest of the gang was beginning to gather there. They all glanced up as the pair entered the room, John flashed a grim look to Lena, silently relaying the fate of the agents below. "Say a few words, kid, they're going to want to hear it from one of their own." 76 motioned to the open shuttle ramp, providing a vantage point for John to speak from, he sighed as he ascended the ramp. The eyes of his team, of his family, looked up to him, they needed guidance on what to do.

"I'm going to assume Winston hasn't told you much about what's going on, that's fine, I'm going to explain it. Thanks to Mercy, we've finally found a way to deal with Reaper, permanently. Thanks to 76 here, we've found out that they're based out of Cairo, and apparently trying to tamper with the dormant Anubis God AI located there. They likely plan to bend the AI to their will to gain access to Egypt's military and corrupt any Omnics in the nation. We _cannot_ let that happen. We all know what happened during the First Omnic Crisis, it's why Overwatch was formed, well now we're about to have a Second if we don't put a stop to this. I'm not going to lie, some of us won't come back from this mission. The enemy is entrenched, they know we're coming, and they will do everything in their power to stop up. But we have something that they don't have, family. Over this past month I've grown closer to you than I thought possible, I would trust any of you with my life. We're not doing this for the fame, the glory, or even the recognition, we're doing this because we're heroes, every single one of us. It's unlikely that anyone will be helped us on this mission, I doubt anyone else even knows about their plot, but we will put an end to Talon's threat once and for all. I believe in every one of you, now, let's go save the world!" The group cheered at John's words, they were all prepared to dive into the jaws of death for the sake of the world, it was part of the job. They all boarded the shuttle, packing it fuller than it had even been before, every seat was occupied, this was what Overwatch felt like in its prime. John spoke to the team about their plan for the battle. Winston, Zenyatta, and Torbjörn would set up a defensive perimeter around the temple, preventing any Talon reinforcements from reaching their base. Genji, Ana, Reinhardt, and Lúcio would attempt to hold the door into the heart of the facility, while a task force of Tracer, John, McCree, and 76 would put an end to Reaper and the AI. John nervously glanced at Lena as the shuttle took off, she flashed him a warm smile to set him at ease. He sighed as he withdrew a cigarette from his pocket and walked to the bay door, the magnetic soles of his boots could keep him in place as they flew. He ignited the cigarette and took a deep drag, savoring the flavor, it could be the last one he ever had. The jingle of spurs drew his attention to his side, McCree had joined him with a cigar, staring at the base as they flew away.

"So, we're really doing this?" McCree spoke, exhaling smoke out of the cabin.

"Yeah, and I'm scared shitless." John laughed, before taking another hit of his cigarette. McCree laughed as he did the same, the twin trails of smoke following behind the shuttle. "Jesse, no matter what happens, it's been an- "He was cut off as McCree placed his hand on John's shoulder.

"Save it for the victory speech, partner, we're gonna send Reaper straight back to hell." John chuckled as he playfully punched McCree's shoulder, they had been through a lot of shit together. The sun had set by the time the shuttle landed on the outskirts of Cairo, Tracer had been sure to land them as stealthily as possible. "Okay, everyone, this is it. Just do your jobs and we'll all be home in time for breakfast." A few small chuckles came from the group as they exited the shuttle. John glanced to Tracer at his side, "A kiss for good luck?" He joked, expecting her to pass it off as one. He was shocked to find her lips pressed again his, a shocked expression covered his face.

"I expect one when this is all over, luv!" She joked, even now she was still full of positivity.

"This is Captain Fareeha Amari, is that an Overwatch vessel I just saw? We need immediate assistance at the Temple of Anubis, Talon agents are swarming all over it. Any agents on this channel respond!" A voice spoke into John's ear.

"Affirmative, Captain Amari, the cavalry's here!" John responded, hearing a laugh from Tracer. "Overwatch, let's get to that temple!" Winston, Zenyatta, and Torbjörn separated from the main group, beginning to set up the preliminary perimeter around the temple, hoping to slow the pace of any Talon reinforcements. The remaining members made their way towards the temple, the sounds of gunfire getting louder as they approached, the tall spire of Anubis reaching high into the sky. John took a deep breath as he scanned the tower, this was it.


	23. Decisive Battle

The sounds of gunshots and explosions filled the air, the Overwatch team made their way into a large courtyard where the sounds originated from. Several mechanical suits could be seen flying in the air, launching rockets down at the Talon agents below. Reinhardt put up his barrier as the neared the agents, his comrades would be able to fire at the entrenched shoulders without fear of being hit themselves. Ana skillfully shot their friends in the sky, her shots able to heal any wounds they sustained before Overwatch arrived, while Lúcio could heal anyone in a small vicinity around him. John, McCree, and 76 focused on taking out the Talon soldiers while Tracer began to flank them, Genji could be seen off to the side quickly cutting through any soldiers in his path. When the soldiers had been dealt with, one of the suits in the sky landed before the Overwatch team, inside the blue suit was an Egyptian woman with a tattoo below her eye, much like Ana's.

"Thank you for the assistance, Talon's fortified the inside of the temple, and we've gotten word of reinforcements that are on their way here." The woman extended her hand to John. "Captain Fareeha Amari, at your service." John firmly shook her hand, wondering if she knew that her mother was among the group.

"We've got a group of agents holding a perimeter around the temple, they should be able to buy us a bit of time. A group of us will enter the temple, make our way down to the core of Anubis, and shut it down permanently. Can you help us hold the temple door?" Fareeha nodded, speaking into her earpiece to command her soldiers back to the door.

"We'll do whatever we can, good luck in there, commander." John chuckled as they walked towards the inner doors of the temple, he had never said he was commander, nor did he believe himself to be.

"John, we've held back the Talon forces as long as we could, but there's too many of them for us to handle." Winston's voice spoke into John's ear, he pressed his finger to it to reply.

"Copy that, Winston, pull back to the temple doors and regroup with the team there. Captain Amari brought a few soldiers to give us a hand. The large door of the temple slowly closed as they entered it, a shot rang out in the air just before the door closed, the last thing John heard before it shut was someone yelling Ana's name. John, McCree, Tracer, and 76 stood within the dim hall before them, there were Talon soldiers ahead without a doubt, and they had the advantage. "Try and keep one alive, we can figure out where the core is." His companions nodded as they prepared for the coming battle, the sound of footsteps at the end of the corridor earned their attention. Tracer blinked off to the side while the other three took cover behind individual pillars, the center of the hall was empty of cover at their end, though Talon had fortified their side. 76 pressed something on the side of his visor, a large target was projected in front of the red glow.

"Give me cover, kid!" 76 shouted, John and McCree obliged, firing to keep the Talon soldiers on the defensive. The sounds of gunshots rang out through the chamber as 76 sprinted out of cover. Any Talon soldier that peeked out of cover was immediately shot by 76, his tactical visor granted him impressive accuracy even while moving. Whichever soldiers were smart enough to not get killed by the approaching soldier were shot in the back by Tracer, who had blinked past the fortifications to flank the soldiers. Tracer had disarmed one soldier, pointing a gun her pistols at him to keep him compliant. 76 grabbed the soldier by the neck and slammed him into a pillar.

"Okay, Araki." 76 had read the tag on his uniform, "You're going to tell us where the core is, got it?" The soldier didn't answer, and 76 growled in response. "I do not have time for this." He fired a shot into the soldier's stomach, the man screamed in pain. "Where is the core?" The soldier slowly lifted his arm to point down a separate hallway, the sound of more Talon soldiers could be heard emanating from within it. "Thanks." 76 fired another shot into the soldier's chest, leaving him to bleed out with his comrades. The four made their way into the new hallway, at the end stood a large room with catwalks around the upper ledges. Talon soldiers were fortified on both the catwalks and the lower level, defending a single large door on the other side.

"McCree and I will take the catwalks, can you and Tracer deal with the soldiers down here?" John asked 76, who grunted in reply. The pair made their way up a ramp to the catwalk, sprinting to the top to avoid being shot. Tracer and 76 had already begun to fire at the soldiers down below, the rapid blinking of Tracer allowed her to be much more aggressive in combat than the typical soldier. John and McCree took cover behind a short wall at the top of the ramp, occasionally peeking out to fire at any exposed soldiers. A turret had been placed above on the catwalk, it was keeping John and McCree from more actively assisting their friends down below. "76, can you do something about that turret?" John spoke into his earpiece, the sound of helix rockets whistled through the air before the turret's fire suddenly stopped, a burning pile of metal was all that was left. John and McCree were now free to assist from above, dealing with any entrenched soldiers that 76 and Tracer could not. They sprinted down the ramp on the opposite side to regroup, standing before the large door to the core. A deep cackle sounded through the room, the door had begun to slowly open, revealing a large cloud of black mist inside. The mist blew past the three and landed in the center of the room, its attention was on 76 who stood by the entrance. Reaper emerged from the center of the mist, his anger was palpable.

"Jack…" The specter growled, withdrawing his two shotguns, "It's time we finished this once and for all."

"DEFEND US, REAPER, HE IS NOT THE THREAT." A voice could be faintly heard from the end of the now open hallway.

"I don't take orders from _you._ " Reaper growled as he removed his earpiece, smashing it onto the ground. "I will get my revenge…"

"We'll see about that, Gabriel. Go, kid! I'll deal with him." 76 shouted, motioning for his comrades to enter the heart of the temple. The door shut behind the three, leaving the two old soldiers in the room alone. 76 fired at Reaper with his pulse rifle, his tactical visor could easily track the movements of the mist. Just as Reaper was about to appear, 76 would put pressure on him with his rifle, launching Helix rockets in between reloads. The two enemies appeared to be at a standstill, neither could properly press an advantage on the other. Reaper could not easily kill this prey as he had his others, though to him, that was part of the appeal. He had been hunting Jack ever since their battle in Overwatch's Swiss headquarters, the explosion that it caused had turned both men into what they were now, walking corpses. A shot rang out in the temple, suddenly, a sniper shot tore through 76's side, bringing him to one knee.

"Thank you, Amélie..." Reaper growled, appearing before his injured opponent. "I expected more from you Jack, though you always were a disappointment…" Reaper laced every word with his anger, built up from over a decade of torment after what occurred in Switzerland. 76 merely laughed as Reaper approached him, pointing a shotgun at his head.

"You always were overconfident, Reyes." 76 spoke at he removed his visor, he suddenly lunged at Reaper, bringing him to the ground before stabbing him in the neck with a needle. Reaper screeched in pain, his body began to spasm as he laid on the ground. 76 laid down on the ground next to his old friend, though the shot hadn't pierced anything vital, the blood loss would eventually kill him. "This is it, Gabe." Jack spoke as he withdrew a grenade from his pocket, "It's finally over." Jack placed the grenade between them both, staring up at the ceiling. "You're the commander now, kid." He weakly laughed. His last thoughts were of his time with the original Overwatch, a smile crossed his face before oblivion claimed them both.

An explosion shook the hallway John, Tracer, and McCree stood in, causing all three to look back at the door they had entered through. "Jack…" John muttered under his breath, he was one of the few who had known 76's identity. The three continued down the hall, massive spires of computing power spiraled high into the air, the largest of all the towers was at the center of the room. "So, this is Anubis." John spoke, his heading turning to examine the scope of the AI. Upon closer inspection, the center tower had been modelled after the Egyptian God, the head of a dog located at the top.

"MORE SOLDIERS… YOU CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE AGAINST ANUBIS." Dozens of Omnics revealed themselves from the shadows of the room, each one bore a weapon that they would use to defend Anubis until they were shut down or destroyed. "ANUBIS WILL NOT BE DENIED, YOU MUST BE NEGATED." John scanned the room for any way the destroy the massive construct, something of that size wasn't going to be brought down by bullets.

"Lena, you see that column over there?" John pointed to a supporting column near the housing of the AI, "Think you can use a pulse bomb to bring it down on the housing while Jesse and I cover you?" Tracer nodded, blinking past the Omnics towards the column. "Alright, Jesse, time to show me what your revolver can really do!" John joked, catching a smile on his comrade's face. The pair laid down fire into the crowd of Omnics, managing to thin their numbers. Although the could be killed, their raw numbers would soon overwhelm the two. An explosion shook the room as the column fell over, smashing directly into the housing of Anubis. The metal of the AI creaked as the column bore its full weight upon in, eventually the housing toppled over along with the column, causing all the Omnics to simultaneously shut down. Debris began to rain from the ceiling, that support column wasn't just for show. John scanned the room for an escape route, doubting that going back the way they came would be quick enough. His eyes settled on a small metal doorway labeled _Maintenance_. "There!" He yelled out, pointing to the door. The three sprinted into the hall, desperately hoping that an exit laid at the other end. The shaking of the temple became more violent, the tunnel they were in began to collapse, a faint light could be seen ahead. Tracer grabbed a hold of McCree and John, rapidly blinking forward to get them out before the temple consumed them. With a burst of blue light they flew out of the exit, rolling in the sand below, they had made it.


	24. Journey's End

The three laid in the sand, not a word was spoken, the only sound the faint rumbling of the temple behind them. John was the first to break the silence with a bellowing laugh, Lena and McCree soon joined him. "We did it, we actually fucking did it." John spoke, still laughing between words. He pushed himself from the ground and helped McCree to his feet, moving to Lena to do the same. He pulled her up into a kiss, hugging her as he did so. "There's your kiss." He whispered, his green eyes staring into her hazel ones as he released the embrace. McCree put an arm around each of them, pulling them towards him, still laughing. Lena and John joined in as they stared at the sun rising. John pressed his finger to his ear, hoping to contact Winston.

"Winston, you there? We got out of the temple… 76 didn't make it." John sighed, regretting the loss of his comrade and former commander, maybe even his friend. "Please tell me everyone else made it out safely." John heard only silence from the earpiece before a deep breath could be heard.

"Ana was killed by Widowmaker shortly after you entered the temple, and Reinhardt held the line while the rest of us retreated." The sorrow in Winston's voice echoed in John's mind. "Everyone else is accounted for, Fareeha has offered to join us." His tone shifted, it sounded almost happy.

"Copy that, Winston, it looks like we're on the east side of the temple, we'll wait here for the shuttle." John removed his finger from his ear, letting out a deep sigh. "So many people lent something to Talon over the past decade, ever since the fall of Overwatch. They lent it everything." John spoke.

"And too many of those things won't ever be returned." McCree sighed, lighting a cigar.

"Yeah, the things lost are too numerous, and too great. What we've lost is as vast as Overwatch itself once was. But it's all because of them, it's because of them that we still live." John exhaled deeply, pulling Lena closer to him. _Reinhardt, Ana, Jack… It's over._ The sound of the shuttle interrupted John's thoughts, the bay door lowered at the sand was blown away. The trio entered the shuttle, McCree sat down on the couch as John and Lena moved into the cockpit, the members who sat in the cabin applauded as they walked by. With a sigh, the pair sat down in the two pilot seats, John stared out the window as they lifted off. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew the polaroid photo that Winston had taken of the team, he smiled as the stared at it. Lena turned her head towards him, noticing the photograph, softly smiling before her focus moved back to the shuttle. John put the photograph back into his pocket, the shuttle flying off into the rising sun, Talon had finally been defeated.

Three figures stood in the shuttle bay, they were closely huddled around the open bay door of a nearby ship. One figure wore a thermal turtleneck, along with a grey jacket, brown jeans, and boots. He spoke to the man across from him, wearing a brown poncho, blue plaid shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. "You're really going back to France, McCree? You could always come back to London with me and Lena." He pointed to the woman at his side, she wore a pair of aviators, a brown flight jacket, light blue jeans, and a pair of white canvas shoes. McCree chuckled, lighting a cigar in his mouth.

"America is my home, no matter where in the world I go, I'll always return there. I have a lot of memories of Route 66, they ain't all bad." McCree flashed a smirk at the couple, exhaling smoke as he did so.

"It'll be lonely without you." John spoke, his expression serious. McCree bore a look of shock on his face, before recomposing it into a smile. He pulled the couple into a hug, one arm around each of them.

"It was a hell of a journey, but I wouldn't trade it for the world, it really was fun, commander. No matter where in the world you are, give me a call, and I'll come running." McCree spoke, acknowledging the rank his friend had been given following the events in Cairo. Lena and John both nodded.

"Yeah, it was fun, I believe that from the bottom of my heart." John solemnly spoke. McCree bore a huge grin on his face, looking at Lena.

"Well, see ya, you shitty Brit! I hope you live forever!" He laughed, prompting a giggle from Lena. "And you, her shitty boyfriend! Don't you dare forget me!" The trio laughed together.

"Let's meet again, if you don't hate me by then you wanker!" Lena giggled.

"I couldn't forget someone like you if I tried, take care." John chuckled, tightening the hug. McCree hoisted his bag over his shoulder, walking up the ramp into the shuttle, he turned just as the ramp began to retract.

"So long." He tipped his hat, the cigar still present in his mouth. Lena gave her two-fingered salute, and John wave a hand.

"So long." He spoke. The shuttle lifted off, flying out into the bay. Most of the Overwatch members had returned to their homes, free to now openly reveal who they were. The Petras Act had been repealed after the events in Cairo, Overwatch was officially recognized by the United Nations, and its members were no longer classified as criminals. Mercy had returned to Switzerland to serve as the lead physician in their finest hospital. Lúcio resumed his tour around the world, playing in the biggest venues he could find, inspiring those in need. Torbjörn had decided to stay at Gibraltar, recruiting several prominent scientists to develop new resources for the organization. Genji had returned with Zenyatta to Japan, he sought to quench the rage his brother Hanzo held within his heart with the assistance of his master. Fareeha had held a small ceremony for the members of Overwatch lost in the battle, before she became the squad leader for any newly recruited soldiers, fulfilling the same role her mother had so many years ago. Winston had offered for Lena and John to remain at Gibraltar, his home was their home. Lena had decided to return to London for a bit, and John was happy to stay at her side. Though their fight with Talon was over, the world would always need heroes. Time flowed onwards.

John sat on a brown couch, sipping a cup of tea as he carefully examined the tablet he held, a message popped up in the top-right corner of the device. _We've got a lead on her, sending you the details – Winston._ John sighed as he placed the cup on the table, opening the message with a tap from his thumb. He scanned the file that Winston had sent him, after three years why was Widowmaker suddenly active again? She had fallen off the radar after the fall of Talon, so what's brought her out of hiding? She had assassinated a businessman in Paris, and though the public believed that all of Talon was destroyed, including the assassin, John knew she would eventually strike again. "Something the matter, luv?" A soft voice spoke from the doorway. Lena made her way to the couch, plopping down beside John.

"Looks like we're going to give McCree a call, we're heading to Paris." John chuckled as he handed her the tablet. "We finally found her, Lena, the last Talon asset." John made his way to the door, looking back at the woman on the couch. "You coming?" He chuckled, already knowing her answer. She blinked to his side with a smile as they walked out of the flat. The couple boarded their nearby shuttle, taking off for the French capital. McCree had informed them of his coming before they landed, leaving their shuttle in a hangar outside of town. They hailed a taxi to take them into the city proper, planning on staying in a hotel during their time here, McCree would arrive the next day. John had wrapped his arm around Lena, they wore the same outfits as when they separated after Cairo.

"So, what brings you two to Paris?" The driver asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror at John. He let out a chuckle as he gazed out the window.

"Just visiting an old friend." John spoke as he inserted a pair of earbuds, glancing down at the device in his hand. _Roundabout – Yes_ was printed on the screen, with a press of a button his ears were filled with music, the taxi sputtered along as the city of Paris rose in the distance.


End file.
